Operation Shinju: The Pearl Archipelago Campaign
by AstraphU
Summary: Following the events of Ashigara's Victory Division, the Raiushima Base continues its struggle against the Abyssals. But the loss of Nachi has far greater repercussions than just undermining the fleet's power; the rift it caused reaches deep and may be fatal to the base itself... Updated weekly on Tuesdays, more often if RL time permits
1. I - The Newcomer

**I  
** **The Newcomer**

Communication between Raiushima and the mainland was usually handled by aircraft. Most frequent visitors were helicopters, their pad located just outside the main complex. Sometimes larger cargo was delivered by ship, as the port basin and harbour were just large enough to service a small freighter.

This time the guest came by something completely different, however.

First, the vessel appeared like a regular ship would - as a dark shape on the horizon, slowly growing in size as it approached the coast. However, the closer it got, the more obvious its peculiarities became.

Huge fans protruded from its stern, their blades cutting the air with a buzz clearly audible even from all the distance. Water beneath it did not bank up against its bow; instead, the ship seemed to skim over the waves, like a ghost. Yet that ghost was clearly made of steel, and as material as the branch Aoba propped herself against. Binoculars to her eyes, she observed the approaching machine, slowly realizing what it was.

"My gosh! Gassa, it's a hovercraft! It's a _hovercraft_! Gassa, look-"

Only a snore replied from a nearby branch.

"Gassa!" she hissed, poking her sister's ribs. Kinugasa woke up with a jolt, almost falling off the narrow branch she used as a makeshift bed.

"Did you lose your mind?!" she yelled "I'd have broken my neck! Or worse!"

"Oh c'mon you, don't cry" Aoba hushed her and pointed to the approaching vessel. "The admiral's guests are rolling in with style!"

To her irritation, Kinugasa was indifference incarnate. The only reason she didn't berate her ditzy sister was because of yet another revelation that suddenly occurred to her;  
the hovercraft was not heading for the harbour. Which meant...

"Daaaaamn!" she screamed in desperation, grabbing her camera and quickly descending down the trunk, leaving confused Kinugasa behind.

She sped towards the beach, hoping to find a good observation spot before the visitors made landfall. That tree would have been so perfect, if only those guys had decided to act like every decent guest and came by boat...

Almost tripping over her own legs, she made a shortcut through a lawn and jumped onto the embankment running along the coast. A few hundred metres further on, she ran down the steps, jumping off the last few to land on soft, white sand. Now, to find a spot with good field of view-

"Well, if it isn't Aoba-chan..."

She froze. In her rush, she didn't think about checking if the admiral wasn't already on his way.

"What are you doing here?" Okada came round to face her. Another person was following him, still out of Aoba's field of view - but her soft steps were clearly audible against the concrete blocks.

"I-"

She tried to think of some excuse that would explain both her presence there and the camera in her hands at the same time. Technically, nothing prohibited her from being on the beach, taking photos. She had no exercises scheduled, the place was fully accessible to the base's personnel and so on. But add to that those incoming visitors - and you got a completely different case. Not to mention she only learnt about this supposedly not-really-public arrival by overhearing admiral's conversation in the HQ (but hey, doors were open and they were talking in normal voices - it's not that she was eavesdropping or anything!)...

"I will see her back to base" she heard Kaga's voice. "If she is not authorized to meet with admiral Orlov, she should not be here"

"Hm..." Okada stroke his short beard, clearly examining the camera in Aoba's hands. Her heart raced faster and faster. "I'd say she is authorized from now on. It'd be good to document the landing and so on. I didn't think of that before, another shame on me..." he ended with a sigh.

"Understood"

A small grenade exploded in Aoba's chest. So she's not going to be dismissed or punished for trespassing? Really?!

"Pick your spot and good luck" the admiral nodded at her. "But for the record, whatever sources you used to get this information, please refrain from using them in the future. Instead, just come and ask. We need reporters, not spies"

Last comment was lashed out surprisingly harshly, making Aoba back down a step. But Okada did not continue; he and Kaga set off towards the shore, stopping halfway through the beach and threating the cruiser as if she didn't exist anymore.

Hands trembling - both from shock and excitement - Aoba kicked off her shoes and raced for the breakwater. She quickly climbed the construction, taking the first suitable spot she found. She made it just in time - the hovercraft was approaching the shore, its massive hulk even more impressive from up close.

Her shutter clicked furiously. Wide perspective, close up on Okada's tense face, zoom in on the hovercraft's tricolour banner, quick snap of the golden, two-headed eagle adorning the side. There was always a detail that attracted her attention, always something worth preserving for the others to see.

The behemoth rolled over the dry land and slowly settled, its air cushion dispersing as the engine slowed down. The ramp in the front lowered, steel plate hitting sand with a hollow thump. For a second, Aoba thought of a beached Abyssal destroyer, gasping for breath. A while later, completing the visage of a stray sea monster, three people disembarked from the hovercraft's gaping maw.

First came two girls; both of similar height and build, they could well be twins. One of them - standing closer to Aoba's spot - wore her hair loose, a blonde cascade reaching all the way to waist, fluttering in the chilly, salty wind. The other had her hair shorter and tied up in a tight braid. Both wore uniform trench coats, their olive colour contrasting with the seaside palette around them. Their high boots sank in sand, black leather against its white dust.

Then came their commander. Clad in a dark blue uniform, a bit shorter and stockier than Okada, the other admiral went straight towards Raiushima's commander, locking him in a powerful embrace. Aoba's shutter kept clicking throughout the ordeal, trying to capture its every moment. A silent voice in the back of her head gleed in delight, happy that her digital camera needed no film to operate. Sadly, the wind drowned out the admirals' conversation, with only scraps of words reaching the reporter's ears. What if something they said would make for a perfect headline?

The long-haired blonde noticed Aoba when she shuffled to adjust her position, knocking a few smaller stones in the process. Following the sound's source, her gaze fell on the reporter shipgirl, cold and hostile. She even made a few rushed steps towards the breakwater, reaching for something at her belt - but was stopped in her tracks by the Russian admiral's gesture. She returned to her place - but kept her eyes on Aoba. She could have sworn the air between them got perceptibly colder.

* * *

The Lounge, as it was usually called, was in fact a rather discreet and quiet corner of Mamiya's inn, specially picked as a spot for people looking for a place to have a private conversation. More spacious than other sections of the tavern and with comfy armchairs instead of simple wooden chairs and stools, it was also a place to celebrate birthdays or other special occasions.

When Aoba first came to Mamiya's two weeks earlier (and only a few days after her arrival at the base), she did not suspect she'd have a chance to sit there so soon. But that particular day was so unusual that she was not even surprised when Okada invited her to accompany them throughout the visit. Camera switched off and a noting pad in her hand, she happily obliged.

She could barely hold off the barrage of questions that swarmed in her mind. The Russian admiral - Aleksandr Yakovlevich Orlov, as he introduced himself - was surprisingly decent with Japanese, even if his accent was heavy and rough. His jovial demeanour was in stark contrast with the more reserved Okada. His detailed answers had their drawback, though; she barely managed to ask the very first few questions from the long, evergrowing mental list she had before they arrived at Mamiya's doorstep. Not to mention she didn't even get a chance to ask the accompanying twins about anything.

Although, taking into account the long-haired one kept her hostile eye on Aoba all that time, she was kinda unsure if getting engaged in any form of conversation with that particular shipgirl was worth the risk. Her sister, neutral to the point of complete indifference, was also a wild card.

Even with those shortcomings, her mind's eye already saw a beautiful article - or maybe a series! - for the fleet's bulletin.

She barely even noticed as they passed the crowded part of Mamiya's inn, straight to the Lounge. They ordered food and took their seats. Silence fell for the first time since they had left the beach. But it lasted just for a few whiles - roughly long enough for Mamiya to bring in the wine - as Aoba quickly grabbed her pen and turned back to Orlov;

"Regarding-"

"Enough" Okada interrupted her abrutply. "Orlov-san is on an official visit here, and with all due respect, it takes priority over the fleet's newspaper. Feel free to take down any notes and make pictures to your heart's content, but from now on, I will be the one to ask questions"

"Y-es sir..." Aoba muttered. She heard stories about Okada normally being a relaxed and friendly officer - but she found them hard to believe. Even when they came from someone as brutally honest, straightforward and alien to confabulation as Furutaka. They just didn't match with reality of the grumpy, moody officer their commander seemed to be.

She started scribbling in her notepad as soon as Okada leaned forward and spoke to the Russian admiral:

"So, what exactly brings you here, Alexandr? Apart from the official bullshit given in the announcement I got from Fleet Command. If you were to talk about the Abyssals, we'd be having a conference via Fleetcord"

"And this is why the Americans and British dislike you so much" Orlov chuckled. "Straight to the point and hates small talk. With a burning passion. I can totally understand why this graceful maiden is your secretary here" he rose a toast to Kaga before downing the rest of plum wine from the glass.

"Good thing I hate this crap too" he continued. "No, _Oka_ , I am indeed here to discuss the fleets' coordination against the Abyssals. There has been some action in the north recently - and we are concerned about potential implications to our security"

"First of all, Kaga is my flagship and second-in-command, not a secretary" Okada leaned forward and tented his fingers, thumbs supporting the chin. "And second, I know about the Aleutan raid. Admiral Dackto..."

"Dackto is a typical _Amerikanyets_! ***** " Orlov threw his hands in the air. "I've got enough of his 'Alaskan bridgehead' babble. And don't even get started on carriers, with all due respect to your beautiful second-in-command..."

Aoba quickly lost interest in (and track of) all the political and strategical jargon the admirals exchanged. As entertaining as it was to see Okada and Orlov's personalities clash, she completely understood Kaga-san, who was just sitting idly, half listening and half submerged in her inner universe of thoughts. The long-haired blonde's stern gaze made it awkward to look towards the Russian ships, although burning curiosity slowly leaned her towards risking an attempt to talk to the other girl. Suddenly, her attention was attracted back to Orlov by a single sentence:

"...in private. Here, however, I would like to propose a small deal with you. And this might be that 'real' part you asked about a while ago"

"And what would that be?"

"I would like to facilitate coordination between our fleets, with future operations in mind. Especially in light of all those recent developments. This charming beauty here - he gestured at the braided girl - is Kirov"

The girl stood up, bowed and spoke in a perfectly fine, even if heavily accented, Japanese:

"Pleased to meet you, admiral Okada Arashi, aircraft carrier Kaga, cruiser Aoba"

Aoba felt her jaw drop. That Kirov girl already knew her, a complete newcomer and rookie on Raiushima?!

"We organized crash language and history courses back in Vladivostok" explained Orlov. "But I'd like to understanding to be deeper, so I would like Kirov to stay at Raiushima for some time. I'd leave more ships, but we are thinly stretched and can't spare many guns. In return, should our experiment produce encouraging results, I'd like to invite a few ships of yours to Vladivostok. What do you think?"

Okada pondered on the proposition as the others waited. The long haired Russian finally tore her lethal glare off from Aoba, changing her target to the Japanese admiral. It seemed like she was ready to literally rip him apart, should his answer fail to satisfy her expectations - whatever they were.

"I see no problem with either part" the answer finally came.

" _Khorosho_! _Otlichno_! ****** " Orlov clapped, his booming voice rolling across Mamiya's inn like a thunder, attracting the shipgirls' curious gazes. A silent yelp of surprise came from the section just next to the lounge, and four heads of the Sixth Destroyer Division popped up from behind the seats, as curious as startled.

Orlov poured himself, Okada and the other co-banqueters another round of wine and rose his glass in a joyful toast.

" _Za vashe zdorovye_! ******* "

* * *

 *** -** (rus.) American  
 ****** \- (rus.) Good! Splendid!  
 ******* \- (rus.) Cheers! (lit. For your well-being!)


	2. II - I will remember this

**II**

" **I will remember this"**

Admiral Orlov spent less than two days on Raiushima, that short time split between negotiations with Okada and making arrangements for Kirov's move into the base. All her possessions - neatly fitting inside a single trunk - were unloaded from the hovercraft and relocated to a spare room in the base's cruiser dorms. Then, Kirov and her sister were dismissed and given free hand to familiarize with the base and its layout, as both admirals held their official meeting in the HQ.

Raiushima was as different from Vladivostok as possible. The island was lush and overgrown with dense, tropical forest, with the installation being the only permanent settlement. And even a short observation made them realize how much the lack of a 'drylander' city's neighbourhood affected the base and its everyday life.

Discipline was... lax, to use a mild word. During her first day, Kirov noticed very few sights she would recognize from home. No evening report taking place in the HQ at dusk. Training activities organized in open waters instead of enclosed pools, where shipgirls would be sheltered from Abyssal artillery or airstrikes. Lack of visible direct hierarchy or chain of command, with seemingly everybody responding to the admiral directly. All shipgirls roaming around the base freely during their free time, with no supervision whatsoever. And more.

"Disgusting" Molotov scowled as they left the main complex and followed an uphill path leading into the forest. "I thought the Japanese were supposed to be masters of organization? Where is it, I ask? Not even San Diego was such a mess! There they at least gave us a guide! Here, they just let us - potential spies - go around without any supervision!"

"Perhaps that's how it works" Kirov led them at a slow pace, trying to memorize the pathways and the island's general topography. "They are naturally organized, so they don't need external supervision - and they just apply this attitude to visitors like us by default. Plus, without civilians around, they don't have to keep up appearances. People would be disturbed to see their protectors against the Abyssal scourge acting so... carefree"

"It's not about keeping up appearances!" Molotov got more and more fired up. "Without external discipline enforced, no internal resolve can last long. If comrade adm-"

Absorbed by their conversation, they blindly approached a sharp turn - and didn't notice a lone shipgirl standing behind the corner. Molotov bumped into her, making the other girl drop a music player she was dabbling with. The plastic device bounced on the gravel with a rattling sound.

A loud "Oi!" was followed by a rapid stream of Japanese words Kirov could only barely keep up with. One thing was sure - whatever the violet-haired girl they encountered was shouting, she was mad. In the corner of her eye, Kirov noticed Molotov clench her fists in irritation.

"Apologies" she stepped between her sister and the Japanese shipgirl, trying to prevent incoming bloodshed. "We were talking and didn't notice you-"

"Didn't notice the great Tenryuu-sama, huh?!" the girl's single uncovered eye flashed with hurt pride. "Now that's strange! Ya were busy with something, huh? I don't recall seeing ya two around earlier - maybe you're spying on something!? Huh?!"

She took a step back, finger accusingly pointed at Russian shipgirls.

Even if Molotov lagged behind during their language courses, she must've heard the word 'spy'. And this meant...

 _That the situation was about to get out of control._

Kirov glanced at her sister in the exact same moment Molotov reached for her belt. Luckily, they left their sidearms onboard the hovercraft. Not that being unarmed mattered in any perspective longer than a few seconds.

"That's what I meant, sister" Molotov said silently in Russian, her voice on the verge of venomous, hissing whisper. "Those slackers can't even think properly anymore. A kid with a camera or some paranoid imbecile here calling themselves _shipgirls_..."

She rose her fists in an international 'going to beat you up real bad' gesture. The Japanese accepted the challenge, taking up a mirror pose. Eyes locked and bravados matched, they studied their stances, brawl ready to break out at any moment.

 _For Mother Russia's sake..._

Kirov grabbed Molotov's wrist, pulling her close just as her sister was about to launch the first punch.

"Have you lost your mind?!" she hissed into her ear. "What would comrade admiral say?!"

Molotov's indifferent gaze was the only reply she got. Well, the argument _was_ pretty bad. Knowing him, Orlov would most likely congratulate Molotov on her spirits - and only afterwards inquire about casualties.

"I am sorry" Kirov repeated with emphasis, making a deep bow towards Tenryuu. "We didn't notice you because we were talking. We do not seek a fight"

The other girl shot them a surprised look, but slowly relaxed. Air around them eased as well.

"Tsk" she chuckled. "So be it! I, Tenryuu-sama, will not bully those who yield in front of my might! But I won't be so generous next time we meet, so beware!" she picked the player up from the ground, waved a surprisingly casual farewell at them and started jogging down the path she must have initially followed.

Kirov let her sister go only after making sure the Japanese shipgirl was way out of earshot.

"Fools" was the only comment Molotov cared to spit out after they resumed their walk through the forest.

* * *

After a night spent onboard the hovercraft came the moment of her official presentation.

A small podium was erected on the base's plaza, in front of the HQ. From its top, standing alongside Okada, Orlov and Molotov, Kirov could have seen the crowd assembled. The amount of shipgirls stationed on Raiushima was... staggering.

She recognized Aoba and Tenryuu, each standing among their respective sister ships. Literally dozens of shipgirls of all sizes and types filled the square, looking at the guests with intense curiosity. As seemingly everything and everyone here, they lacked any semblance of drill and discipline Vladivostok base had. The buzz of hushed whispers saturated the air above the relaxed assembly, gradually silencing as more and more realized the admirals were already in place and ready to begin. Last voices were shushed when Okada loudly cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming" he began. Judging by his looks, sleep barely visited his quarters last night - hardly surprising, taking into account Orlov's return oboard the hovercraft in the wee morning hours. "As some of you already know, we have a rare honour of hosting guests in our base. Ones not only from outside Raiushima, but also from outside Japan itself. Let me officially introduce you to our guest - admiral Orlov, commander of the Special Division of the Russian Pacific Fleet"

A vigorous applause came through the crowd.

"Admiral Orlov is an old friend of mine and a man single-handedly responsible for the existence of Russian shipgirl corps. Now he comes to us with an idea which would allow both our fleets to share valuable experience and knowledge. An offer I am most eager to accept - and, with the Staff's approval, am glad to do so"

This time the only reaction during the short pause was the ringing silence of undivided attention.

"Alexandr, would you mind explaining the details?"

Kirov shifted her attention away from the boring story she had heard several times already. Instead, she focused on carefully examining the crowd, taking mental notes on every characteristic person she could have noticed. To her side, Molotov did the same thing. The difference was the exact purpose; Molotov acted as a secretary ship, gathering information she could extrapolate from and provide to Orlov, while her observations were a thing of pure curiosity.

"The more you see, the more you know" - as comrade Aurora often said.

In the colourful mass of exotic outfits and unfamiliar faces, she quickly noticed one particularly contrasting place; at the very edge of the crowd stood a trio, seemingly a few years older than Molotov or her. Looks were of course very deceiving when it came to a shipgirl's actual age - but based on them, she could safely assume the trio belonged to some cruiser class. They were not clad in any kind of uniform; instead, they wore some sort of a formal kimono, its black, matte silk cutting off from the lively, tropical background and vivid outfits surrounding them.

There was also a kind of enmity in the way the trio looked at Okada. And once Kirov noticed that emotion, she quickly spotted reflections of that hostility seen in some other shipgirls. Those reflections seemed to emanate from a central source - a long-haired member of the black trio. The way she gazed towards the podium was one of burning, passionate disgust, maybe even something more... something Kirov couldn't exactly define at that moment. Just as if, for some reason, that shipgirl considered their admiral a mortal foe, not a commander to be respected and followed.

She wondered if Molotov noticed that situation as well. And whether Orlov was aware of such complicated relations existing within the Raiushima base. She took a mental note to investigate, should time permit.

Orlov's speech was brief, leaving her little time for further observations. He finally concluded, asking her to introduce herself as the new liaison between the bases.

She stepped forward, ocean wind rippling her coat and whipping her braid. Heels clicked on the wooden floor as she straightened up at attention. Taking a deep breath, she used the last second to ensure her composure and posture were flawless.

"Lead ship of her class, Project 26 cruiser Kirov, reporting!" she exclaimed a short, sharp introduction, satisfied to hear her voice reverb powerfully against the buildings around. A silent sound of awe rippled across the crowd - soon to be overwhelmed by a thunderous cheer and applause.

* * *

Orlov and Molotov departed in the late afternoon. After a short goodbye, Kirov was left alone on the beach, watching the slowly dwindling hovercraft disappear on the horizon. Her thoughts bounced from one topic to another, not building any particular train. The whole situation she ended up in was… strange.

She was used to lone missions - with a force as small and thinly spread as Russian, squadron sorties were few and far between. But missions she took part in up to that point were simple. Get in, fulfil objectives, return to base. This one was more complex. And with far too many uncertain variables to be of her liking.

"Uhm... excuse me?" a high-pitched voice sounded a few metres behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see the pink-haired reporter girl. Aoba, she recalled the name.

"Yes?"

"I am to show you around the base" the girl said with the same straight-to-the-point boldness she displayed when questioning Orlov.

"We already had a tour on our own"

"But I am sure you didn't see it all!" she clasped her hands enthusiastically, like a little kid allowed to show the guest her toybox. "You surely didn't see the springs behind the battleships' quarters! Tosa's shrine in the woods! And most of all, you'll miss the ceremony today evening!"

"A ceremony? But we already had-"

"No, not yours! I mean, your presentation was awesome of course-" she added, emphasizing the point with vivid gesticulation. "-but this is going to be something equally special! The forest shrine is going to be officially consecrated!"

"A shrine? Like, that Tosa shrine you just mentioned?"

"No no no! A new one! Well, not exactly new, because it's actually a pretty ancient one… oh c'mon, I can't really explain this well to an outsider, I'll better show you in person!"

Kirov felt a hand grab her wrist - and the next thing she knew, she was inexorably pulled towards the cruisers' dorms.

"Is... the forest... not the other... way?" she managed to spit out in between Aoba's long strides.

"Yes, yes!" replied an excited voice. "But I need to grab some stuff first!"

A few minutes later they were climbing up a gravel path uphill. Aoba's 'stuff' - a traditional, pastel kimono and a quite modern digital camera - making for a rather mismatched pair. The sun was slowly setting, long shades filling the forest around them. It surely differed from how it felt during Kirov and Molotov's visit the previous day. It wasn't just darker. There was something in the air the Russian cruiser could not identify, something that made the atmosphere tense, but not in any ominous sense. Whatever that upcoming ceremony was about, it seemed important. Perhaps even moreso than her presentation in the morning.

It was a shame Aoba didn't seem to be in any hurry to explain this particular piece of information to her. Which didn't exactly mean the other girl wasn't talkative.

"The island used to be inhabited long before the Old War. But the local population departed at some point. If I remember correctly, even before the Old War itself! Their village used to be where the base is now. But they also left a lot of stuff in the forest and on the slopes. Shrines, memorials, that kind of things. Most were left untouched and are still out there, overgrown. Some we added ourselves..."

They stopped on an edge of a small clearing, barely larger than a single dorm room. In the middle stood a stone stele, its dark surface decorated with ornamentally carved kanji. In front of it was a wooden bench, roughly large enough for two people to sit down. Fresh flowers laid at the stele's base, their colours vibrant and scent still filling the calm air.

"Kaga-san built this shortly after her arrival" explained Aoba. "It's to honour her sister Tosa. She never got completed before the Old War, but Akagi-san is very fond of the memory. And when Akagi-san also came to the base, it became kind of their common memorial. You see, Akagi-san also lost a sister before the Old War..."

They looked at the monument in silence for a while, while Kirov thought of an appropriate thing to say. She knew so little about actual relationships between members of the Raiushima base. Should she be sad about those Tosa and Amagi's fates? Happy that they got immortalized in such a way? Again, there was something strange in the whole scene, something she was yet again unable to pinpoint. One of many things their course in Vladivostok obviously failed to cover in its limited span.

From somewhere uphill came a faint sound; a melodic chant streamed between the trees, barely audible over the sound of rustlling leaves.

"Damn!" Aoba snapped out of her thoughts, grabbing Kirov's wrist and forcefully pulling her once again - this time back to the pathway. "They've already started! We're gonna be late!"

* * *

Contrary to Aoba's fears, they lost only the few first minutes of the ceremony. The whole thing was almost an otherworldly experience to Kirov.

The shrine was much larger than she expected - almost as big as orthodox churches she remembered from Russia. Built of wood and painted in bright shades of red, the building looked just like it was taken out of some mainland Japanese monastery Kirov read about back in her base.

The sun has already hidden behind the mountaintop, the falling twilight lit up by torches and handheld paper lampions. The crowd inside stood in contemplation, chanting some silent prayer. The scent of slowly burning incense sticks filled the air, biting on Kirov's nostrils. She barely stopped a sneeze, as Aoba pat her arm before departing into the assembly.

"I'm gonna join Gassa. She's right there, wanna come?"

"I guess I stay here. Don't want to interrupt"

"As you wish. If you need anything, feel free to come up and tell!"

And so Kirov was left alone by the entrance door. Barely able to understand the chanting, she focused on what she liked the most - observation.

In the very front of the crowd, leading the ceremony, stood two shipgirls in miko outfits. Kirov could only guess the exact purpose of their actions - but their every movement was precise and meticulous, every thing they performed adding to the solemn atmosphere permeating everything around them. Before them stood three stelae, not unlike the one Kirov had seen in the woods; these however were much bigger, their surfaces carved with intricately made, calligraphed kana. Their stone was also much smoother, freshly polished and not exposed to elements.

At one point, the mikos were joined by the same trio of cruisers Kirov noticed during her presentation. They burnt incense sticks, intoned some new prayer - things that obviously bore a lot of meaning to them, but were beyond Kirov's understanding. She just stood by the entrance, observing and absorbing, trying to pick up the puzzle's pieces one by one.

Okada was also there, his snow-white uniform distinct at the red backdrop - but very much to the side, strangely detached from the communion filling the shrine. Again, the hostility between him and the trio was clearly felt in the air - even though neither side made eye contact or interacted in any way. Underlining a mental note to investigate, Kirov returned to other observations, trying to make sense of all the esoterism taking place around her. Over and over again, she realized their rushed and superficial course from Vladivostok proved to be vastly insufficient.

The ceremony concluded well into the night, although the difference in timezones made it hard for the Russian girl to keep track of exact time. She stepped aside, letting the crowd flow out from the shrine. Only a few of Japanese shipgirls actually noticed her presence - most were either deep in thought, or immersed in some hushed conversations. Aoba quickly emerged from the stream of people, dragging a pretty looking girl alongside.

"Gassa, meet Kirov-chan, Kirov-chan, this is my sister Kinugasa!"

"Pleased to meet. This ceremony was very beautiful" Kirov bowed down in a greeting, as they were taught back in Russia. She noticed that for some reason Kinugasa seemed a bit… uneasy in her presence.

"Yeah, it was... but also it was so sad" Aoba quickly lost her usual cheer. "It's the first time, after all…"

"First time what happened?" Kirov decided there was no harm in asking.

"Right, you can't know about that… We lost one of our friends during last operation… I didn't know her personally, I only came to the base just after that battle, but I heard many stories. Nachi-san was so brave… It's a shame she is not longer among us"

"So you decided to honour her with such an elaborate grave?"

"No, it's… That's not her grave. This shrine was left by the locals and fell to disrepair. The admiral ordered its reactivation to honour all the fallen in war against the Abyssals. Shipgirls, fairies, drylanders... Come, let me show you…"

She led Kirov back through the exiting crowd's last wave and towards the stelae.

"This one..." she pointed at the central one "...belongs to Nachi-san. The others are for fairies and servicemen who lost their lives in combat. We pray for their safety on the other side… and that maybe one day we will all meet again"

"As in… in the afterlife?"

"Maybe. Or maybe here. All in all, we had already been here once… I mean, we fought in the Old War, didn't we? And most of us sank. But we are still on Earth, back and alive. Do you believe in reincarnation in Russia?"

Kirov pondered on an answer for a second.

"Our presence here is all thanks to science and progress" she replied. "Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful that you honour your fallen this way - but it's equally wasteful at the same time. In Russia, we know no prayers can bring the dead back. No chants in _tserkov' *****_ , no belief will-"

" **EXCUSE ME!** "

She spun in place, only to face the same hateful glare that had been shot towards Okada during her presentation. Rage burnt in the shipgirl's bright brown eyes, fists got clenched and relaxed in rapid succession. She breathed heavily, taking long strides towards Kirov.

"Listen to me, new one!" after initial outburst, her voice 'calmed down' to a state of icy fury. Kirov shuddered; it resembled Molotov's rage too much. "I just _accidentally_ heard what you said. And for your information, _gaijin_ …" she stopped mere inches from Kirov, her heavy breath bearing the slightest trace of alcohol "...Nachi was **my** sister and if you have problems with the way we honour her here, you have problems with **me**!"

Kirov backed off a step, trying to get out of the other girl's imposing aura. Unlike that whole Tenryuu person they met the previous day, that one seemed both dead serious - and actually _deadly_ at the same time.

"I didn't mean any disrespect towards your sister…"

"But you just did call our memory of her _wasteful_. And you know what, _gaijin_? I don't care about what you think or mean. But if you **dare** to speak shit about my sister again-"

"Nee-san, please…" absorbed by the assault, Kirov failed to notice a second member of the black-clad trio reenter the shrine and approach the attacker "This… this is not something Nachi would like to see"

The other girl had short hair with a flowerly pin attached. Her eyes were darker and larger than her sister's - and in the flickering light of torches illuminating the shrine they seemed like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. Her shaking voice only reinforced the impression.

Hateful gaze finally tore off Kirov's face, as the attacker looked up at the stelle. Her face suddenly softened. She whispered some words, too quiet to be clearly audible in the shrine's empty space. For a second, it seemed the world around her ceased to exist. The other girl put a hand on her arm, gently tugging her back outside.

Still, the last gaze the attacker shot at Kirov before turning to leave was one of scorching, predatory anger. That girl was a hungry wolf, craving for her blood.

"I will remember this" she spat out with contempt and stormed outside, leaving Kirov, Aoba and Kinugasa in front of the silent tombstones. The wolf's sister muttered a hushed apology, before following in her wake.

* * *

 *** -** tserkov' (rus., церковь) - church


	3. III - Pearls and the Abyss

**III  
** **Pearls and the Abyss**

A lone seaplane zoomed across the skies, its engine roaring with the sound of emergency power setting. A thin trail of smoke followed in its wake. The fuselage bore signs of combat fatigue, numerous holes shot through its thin plating. One wingtip got blown off completely and elevators hang loose, practically irresponsive.

The engine sputtered and choked with disturbing frequency, emergency boost only speeding up its death. But the pilot persisted. They had to return to the fleet. They had to alert them of the threat.

Behind the plane, three Abyssal floaters dived from under the sun. Machine guns and cannons spit a hail of lead; only the pilot's desperate dodge saved her from turning into a piece of mangled scrap. But more damage was inevitable; a single bullet hit the rear gunner, silencing the fairy forever. The plane shook and tumbled in air, the impact worsening the fuselage's already critical state.

She flipped the radio's switch several times in a futile hope for its miraculous recovery. Only static responded to her hails. The Pearl Archipelago, already visible on the far horizon, could have as well been on another planet.

The chase dove below her plane, using the momentum to quickly pull up and regain altitude. She couldn't see them - but knew the predators were close, could literally feel their breath on her neck.

A short salvo glanced her right wing, pieces of plating and paint ripped away from the plane. She jerked to the left, hoping to avoid another strike. That part of the plan went well; but her trusty seaplane decided it had enough of this misery.

With a bloodcurdling screech, the mechanism controlling flaps finally gave in to all the abuse it suffered. Helpless, she could only watch as control surfaces spasmed up and down, listening to the wild music of wind instead of her input.

Two floaters rocketed skyward in front of her, their attack overshooting the crippled plane. The third one was nowhere to be seen...

...but a sudden blow from below was a painful indication it was still there, ready to bite.

That impact was strong enough to rip the tail clean off the fuselage, wind roaring inside the gutted plane like a bloodthirsty beast. Ocean's green replaced azure skies in fairy ploit's vision, the wreckage plummeting to inevitable death.

She screamed to the microphone, trying to warn the base about incoming danger. They had to know, they can't-

Only an amorphous smear of oil marked the spot where waves closed above the brave fairy and her plane.

* * *

"Catch!"

Shigure had to take a few quick steps back in order to intercept the incoming chest. The package was heavy and cumbersome, but she managed not to get pushed any further - which would mean falling right into the sparkling waters beneath the pier.

"Suzukaze! Watch it!" Asashio was definitely not amused. "You could have hurt her! Not to mention we'd have to dive for that load if it fell to the water!"

"Oh c'mon" The blue-haired destroyer happily lifted another chest from the pile, as Shigure dropped the first one onto a small drone boat moored to the shore. "Supply missions are already bo-o-ring, we don't need no second Kaga-san 'ere!"

"It's OK, Asashio-chan" Shigure rubbed a strained muscle in her arm. "Just a few more packs and we'll be good to go"

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt!" pouted Asashio, as Suzukaze heaved another package towards Shigure - who this time had no issues receiving the payload.

Behind them a military truck stopped by the edge of concrete enbankment. Hibiki jumped down from the vehicle's rear, accompanied by two soldiers.

"That is the last one" she announced as militarymen proceeded to unload the transport. "One hundred twenty tons of bauxite and other resources total, fifteen percent above admiral's expectations"

"Miners hit a damn good piece of ore a few days ago" said one of the soldiers, a proud smile widening his face."Above all damn expectations indeed. Your admiral should be satisfied"

"High quality bauxite means lower consumption per sortie, true" Asashio ticked last points on her checklist. "Which means the base can last longer on the same amount. That will surely please the admiral"

"Which..." Suzukaze interluded, barging between Asashio and the soldier. "...is 'er way of sayin' 'thanks for the great job'!"

Both soldiers burst into jovial laughter, but quickly stopped, seeing Asashio's irritated reaction.

Chitose waited for them by the port's exit, eyes stuck to the cloudy horizon.

"Something's wrong?" asked Asashio as other destroyers guided the drone barge outside the basin.

"Two planes did not return from sortie" she tried hailing them on the radio, but only static crackled back. "They might got delayed by that storm, but even if so… we can't wait for them much longer"

"They'll be fine. If it comes to worst, they'll land in the basin and we'll just pick 'em up on our next visit!"

"I just hope your optimism is not premature, Suzukaze-chan. Either way… wait"

Chitose turned back to the horizon, putting binoculars to her eyes. The destroyers could see colour leave her face in a matter of seconds.

"What is it, Chitose-san?" Asashio also unpinned her pair from rigging and took a look in the same direction as the tender. What she saw made her throat contract in a sudden spasm of terror.

The horizon was literally swarming with approaching silhouettes. Destroyers jumping across the waves, their dark bodies grotesque parodies of killer whales. An unnerving fusion of Abyssal tissue, mechanical parts and flesh that made up various cruiser types. Battleships, with gargantuan riggings dwarfing the already tall and mighty operator within. There were dozens, if not hundreds of them, forming a line spanning across the horizon. All converged on the archipelago, a black wave relentlessly closing in.

Chitose was first to snap out of shock.

"Suzukaze, signal the base! They must begin the evacuation now! Hibiki, make sure the transport makes it away safe! Asashio, Shigure, follow me and prepare torpedoes!"

Scaffolding on her legs clicked into action, midget subs ready for deployment at any moment. She sped up, heading towards the approaching armada.

"We're going to attack them…?!"

Chitose glanced over her shoulder at Asashio. Determination in her grey eyes reassured the destroyer, gave her a spark of hope the young shipgirl needed. Little did she know how thin Chitose's mask of certainty and conviction was.

"No. All we can do is to buy some time for the rest to get away…"

Can a single stone stop the flood?

Of course not. But it still can try.

The Abyssals barely took notice of three shipgirls advancing to meet the armada. Some destroyers, driven by primal instinct rather than any coherent order, headed towards the shipgirls - but apart from that, the enemy did not respond. Chitose deployed her subs, Asashio and Shigure laid perfectly aimed torpedo salvos - but that barely dented the incoming fleet. One, two, even half a dozen - for every Abyssal taken out, two more came.

"We can't win this!" cried Shigure, only barely managing to cripple a destroyer that was about to devour Asashio. The flood of ichor and hail of metal bits struck the shipgirlgirl, but luckily left her unharmed. "Chitose-san, we must fall back!"

Desperate, Chitose turned towards the island. First thing she saw was Suzukaze, bravely making her way across the invading armada. Then she looked beyond, at the island itself - and realized the full extent of their attempt's futility.

Enemy battleships and cruisers stopped at a distance, shelling the base, mine and all other buildings within their range. The airstrip was already on fire, jets and choppers reduced to useless scrap. She didn't even want to think what happened to soldiers they had conversed with just a while ago.

Among the attackers she noticed a new type of ship - hunched over, they resembled Nu-class carriers at first glance - but their more massive bulk and a different set of bony protrusions on their backs set them apart from floater-spitting abominations she was familiar with. Also, unlike Nu-class, those Abyssals followed the battleship force. And once the bulges on their spines extended their barrels and vomited a first salvo of fire and destruction upon the base, she realized she was looking upon some new type of Abyssal battleship.

She had to endure the horrifying sight of Abyssal transports beaching on the island's pristine sands, their swollen bodies literally vomiting crab-like monstrosities. From the distance she couldn't make out details - but the creatures seemed to be roughly the size of a small tank, crawling their way towards the base compound, laying waste with machine guns, cannons and rockets firing from their carapace.

"CHITOSE-SAN! CHITOSE-SAN!" yelled Suzukaze, dodging a leaping Abyssal destroyer. "They sounded the alarm, but-but I couldn't…"

"I see" Chitose needed just a fraction of a second to weigh their options. Once Suzukaze made it back to them safely…

"Fall back! Spread out, run for your lives!"

Behind them a deafening explosion shook the island, a ball of infernal fire blooming where fuel tanks used to stand.

* * *

"Very well, listen up, newcomer" Tone overtook the rest of her squadron and spun in place to face them, now cruising backwards. "Here is the plan; my planes located an Abyssal task force east to our current position. A small flock of destroyers and cruisers, on a regular patrol. They are of little threat to the base and pose no challenge to us - but will make a perfect target for our exercise!"

Kirov took a look to her sides, checking on her companions. Aoba and Kinugasa made last adjustments to their rangefinders and fire directors. In front of her, twin sisters Furutaka and Kako listened eagerly to Tone's briefing. Looking up at the horizon, she noticed a row of dark specks lining the border between the sea and the sky. Most probably the Abyssals mentioned by Tone.

For the hundredth time since their departure from Raiushima she checked her gear. Two frontal turrets on her left arm... a single rear one on her right... secondary guns lining the belt... hip-mounted torpedo launchers... and finally the trusted _shashka_ ***** by her side. All was in place.

There was little practical use in such scrutiny - she had made sure everything was in perfect order long before she stepped on the slipway back in docks - but this mindless exercise helped her stay focused in the eve of battle; it dampened useless emotions, keeping her mind on the right track. Comrade Aurora put great emphasis on that during their training.

Focus and deliberation - two more things that seemed completely alien to shipgirls of Raiushima.

"Oh gosh!" as much as she started to like Aoba, the pink-haired cruiser's constant babble far too often swayed to the irritating side of the spectrum. "That's going to be my fourth... no, wait, no fifth combat sortie! It's your fourth Gassa, right? You missed that one four days ago, after you got hit by a torpedo..."

"Don't mention that!" Kinugasa blushed. "With all your stories and constant boasting I feel like I was there either way..." she finished, rolling her eyes.

"That's my job here!" Aoba straightened up in a playful salute. "Cruiser Aoba, the eyes and ears of the fleet!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Furutaka glanced over her shoulder, "...just don't forget the whole reporting thing is just a part-time job. We're all heavy cruisers here! Right, Kako?" she flexed her muscles like a bodybuilder, much to her sister's amusement. "Speaking of which, Kirov-san - where are _your_ big guns?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anything below twenty centimeters is a kid's toy" Furutaka patted her massive turret. "And before you say anything - putting three barrels instead of two doesn't make it any better. It's all about caliber. I already had that talk with Mogami"

Kirov sighed, trying to hide her irritation. This was not the first time Furutaka tried to prove her silly point - and with each attempt she got more and more cocky.

"Actualy, high exit velocity can make up for the lack of shell mass. That was the idea behind my guns' design and if you doubt-"

"Oi, cut that yaking!" Tone pointed at the enemy formation. "It appears they noticed us, get ready for engagement!"

Kirov leaned forward a bit, setting propellers to flank speed. The funnel on her back sputtered a thick cloud of smoke as she accelerated, taking Furutaka over and catching up with Tone.

Her mind was clear, not tainted by a single unnecessary thought. All the irritation she felt at Furutaka's quips was left behind. There was only her, the endless sea under the cloudy skies and the enemy in front of her.

"Oi! Newcomer! Stick to the formation!" Tone's voice reached her from afar. She ignored the command, focusing on what was important.

Five destroyers. Most likely E1 type, assuming the species encountered here matched the ones she could meet around Russian shores. _Lzhekosatki_ , as Molotov called them. False killer whales. Name fitting for their feral aggressiveness.

She rose her front guns, firing a salvo from maximum range. Six shells wooshed forward along a flat arc, velocity far exceeding one achieved by heavy Japanese projectiles. Geysers of water erupted among her targets, leaving them unscathed. She just shifted her weight to the other side, bringing rear turret to bear. This time, the salvo hit, forcing one destroyer to fall out of formation.

Distance between them closed fast. The nearest destroyer opened its maw, a long barrel protruding from the inside like a grotesque, swollen parody of a tongue. A flash of light came, then an explosion sounded somewhere from behind Kirov. Other destroyers followed their leader, focusing fire on the lone opponent.

Kirov's reload mechanism finished the cycle with a loud click. She fired in rapid sequence, one turret per target. The closest enemy suffered a direct hit at its gun, an explosion ripping its body in half. Second salvo ricocheted off the whale's thick skin, third one reached its target mid-turn, all three shells scoring a clear penetration through the side. A deafening shriek shook the uneasy sea, as the crippled destroyer flailed and spasmed in agony.

Two down, one damaged, two to go.

Still at flank speed, she came between the two remaining destroyers, zigzagging in the process to avoid their misaimed torpedoes. Her own launchers went horizontal, each spitting out three fishes. The closer enemy - the one to her left - exploded in a mix of fire and salty spray, unable to dodge the strike. The one to her right jumped out of water, only barely avoiding instant death. Not for long - a concentrated barrage from behind hit it mid-air, thick ichor splatting on Kirov like black, oily rain.

The last surviving destroyer - the one injured by her opening salvo - kept going, cumbersome but still deadly. Normal predators would give up the chase upon receiving such a wound; but Abyssals were no regular predators. They hunted to kill at all cost, regardless of their survival.

In one fluid motion, Kirov unsheathed her _shashka_. Its curved blade drew an arc in front of her, sun gleaming against clean steel. As the monster leapt towards her, she took a sidestep - and slashed its side, another spill of black ichor covering her uniform. The trashing beast tried to turn back for another attempt - but the Russian cruiser was already on top of it, the sabre falling for the killing blow.

"Did- did she just..."

"Y-yeah..." Furutaka lowered her guns. "That's right Kako, she just..."

"Gassa, you OK...?" Aoba looked with concern at her sister. They were both paper-pale, but while Aoba managed to keep at least some composure, Kinugasa just stood still, with both palms covering her mouth.

"Splendid!" Tone showed Kirov a double thumbs up, grinning widely. She remained unfazed even as the Russian shipgirl turned back towards them. Somehow Tone's mind skimmed over a few fine, insignificant details - like a film of jet-black substance covering Kirov's face and uniform. Or her wide-opened, empty stare of a killing machine. Not even the complete silence - save for the Abyssal's shrieks and roars - accompanying the whole combat seemed to bother the squadron's commander.

"Splendid!" Tone repeated, clapping her hands. "Newcomer, you got a victor's spirit! Excellent!"

Kirov shifted her gaze at the cheering commander, her eyes suddenly snapping back into focus.

"Thank you" she said silently, crouching to wash her blade.

"I-is that for real...?!" Aoba heard Kinugasa whisper, her sister's frightened gaze jumping between Tone and Kirov - hard to tell which of the two more horrifying to her now.

* * *

Their squadron crossed the increasingly rough sea in relative silence; Tone's initial attempts to praise Kirov and start a conversation fell on deaf ears, other cruisers discretely and warily eyeing the pair. The Russian cruiser didn't seem to care, staying at the back of the formation.

Aoba cruised just in front of her, trying to take mental notes for the article she would write as soon as they finished the post-sortie debriefing. Glancing over her shoulder, she tried to remember Kirov's state as faithfully as possible. Covered in partially dried out ichor, with her braid loosened during combat, the Russian cruiser sailed forth, seemingly ignoring her - or every one else's - attention.

She saw other shipgirls fight in close combat - Tenryuu and Kiso always took pride in their swordsmanship - but their style was different. Energetic. Brash. What she saw just now was more like organized slaughter. Careful. Methodical. Pre-planned. Was that cold-blooded butcher really the same shipgirl she had showed around the base? Who taught her to fight like that? What did she think while her blade sliced the Abyssal destroyer like it but a mere pest?

So many questions, so few answers...

* * *

The debriefing was short and consisted mostly of Tone's elated praises. Kirov listened to them, not really getting the message they were supposed to carry. This sortie was just a test - and she passed it. Nothing extraordinary. She was actually surprised Furutaka did not complain at any point, didn't say anything about destroyers not being worthy opponents for a pack of cruisers. Instead, the Japanese shipgirl did her best to avoid eye contact. Actually the only one not shying away completely since the skirmish's end was the ever inquisitive Aoba. Even she did not speak a word, though.

Kirov welcomed a warm shower, finally able to cast the tarnished uniform away. Cooked by tropical sun and mixed with oceanic salt, the ichor turned into a sticky goo, its stink filling the whole bath as she undressed. In Vladivostok they used decontamination chambers for preliminary removal of such filth. Here, apparently, water and soap were considered sufficient.

She walked into the closest shower stall, letting the warm stream wash away the sweat and weariness. Behind her, a relaxed chatter and joyful laughter came from the common docking zone, reminding her of how different Rauishima was from Vladivostok.

She wondered if Aoba and her comrades perceived her as equally weird and different.

Upon her entry, the cruisers' dorm was peaceful and quiet. Apart from Tama dozing off within kotatsu's warm embrace with only her head sticking out, and Tatsuta cooking something in the kitchen, the ground floor was deserted. Having greeted them both, Kirov headed upstairs to her room.

"Watch your step" she heard Tatsuta cheerfully malicious voice as she took the first step upwards.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing in particular" the cruiser looked at her with a hardly readable expression. "I just heard you like running around with that sword of yours... Just be careful with that. You might hurt Tenryuu-chan. She is so clumsy... And also likes toying with sharp things..."

Kirov looked at Tatsuta, puzzled. Aoba managed to drop a warning or two about that particular shipgirl's… quirky sense of humour, but that was totally unexpected. Still, she decided to risk shrugging the cryptic warning off and proceeded upstairs without asking for more details.

She was about to open the door to her room - almost directly in front of the stairs - when she noticed a small, colourful note sticked just next to the handle. It had a crude drawing of a pink rabbit and a single word in cyrillics:

 _Лево;_ left.

She looked in given direction - and saw other notes laid out on the floor, along the corridor's axis. She walked over to the nearest one; it also featured a crude bunny drawing, this time without any text. Instead, the animal pointed forward, to the next note.

She followed the trial, intrigued, passing by other cruisers' rooms; each note pictured the rabbit in a different pose, always showing the way to proceed. The path followed the corridor, winding around the building. Finally, after two turns to the left and circling the dorms around, she reached the end. The final note on the floor had the bunny pointing at the wall to the front.

On the wall was yet another sticker:

 _Гора_ ; up.

On the ceiling the note read _право_ ; right.

The note on the wall to her right again had only one word: _хорошо_. Good.

As she stood bewildered, she heard someone run up the stairs behind her and grab her wrist.

"Sorry for this little charade" she heard Aoba's voice, as she got pulled downstairs, back to the common room...

...which in the span of a mere minute she spent on following the trail of notes underwent a complete transformation.

Her squadron was sitting on sofas, with Tone jumping to her feet as soon as Kirov reached the ground floor. Tatsuta carried a pot of steaming-hot soup out of the kitchen, the familiar delicious aroma filling the air.

Finally two destroyers - she still had troubles remembering all their names - sat in armchairs outside the gathering. One of them had a pink bunny pinned to her arm; the plushie looked pretty much like the one from the notes.

"It's a small tradition to celebrate one's first sortie" explained Aoba. "But we wanted to make it a bit special because, well... you are our special guest! Hibiki-chan..." she pointed to the second, white-haired destroyer, "...knows some Russian, and Tone-san came up with the idea of a surprise party... Hope you don't mind?"

"N-not at all..." stunned, Kirov looked at the stuff other girls gathered. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a row of glass bottles, their interiors filled with a crystal clear liquid and exterior lined with rapidly thawing ice.

"Is that..."

"Indeed it is, newcomer!" Tone smirked proudly. "Chitose-dono acquired this rare beverage a long time ago and gifted it to her companions. I, obviously, happened to be among them! And what is a better way to celebrate your impressive debut than with a drink from your native land?"

Before Kirov knew what happened, she was already sitting among the Japanese shipgirls, a glass of vodka in her hand and a plate of soup in front of her. With a flurry of chatter exchanged, the awkward silence that accompanied their return from the sortie was almost gone - and even with Kinugasa and Furutaka keeping some vestigial distance, it was bound to melt completely sooner than later.

"So, newcomer" Tone leaned towards Kirov, her face already slightly ablush after the first round of vodka. "Share with us - who taught you this fighting style? We have blademasters here among us, but neither Kiso nor Tenryuu use such ruthlessly efficient techniques!"

"It's comrade admiral's idea" she replied proudly. "We're often sent on solo missions, in pairs at most, so we must rely on brutal strength to carry us through enemy lines. When ammunition is scarce, the blade becomes your best comrade!"

"I see, I see!" Tone gleed, pouring another round of vodka shots. "Five against one, that was impressive! Most impressive!"

The party picked up the pace quickly, the atmosphere getting even more cheerful with every minute. The destroyers - who quickly retreated to the room's corner, with bunny girl showing something to Hibiki on her phone - departed after an hour or so. The discussion then departed from the topic of their last battle, subjects jumping from their personal stories to the base's current gossip. Kirov listened and tried to remember as much as possible - although the rising buzz in her head made it somewhat more difficult with every passing minute.

Suddenly the door to the dorms slammed open with a bang rivaling the one of a naval gun. All conversations got cut off immediately, girls turning towards the newcomer.

In the passage stood one of the priestess presiding the ceremony at the shrine. It was the stockier one - with a ridiculously elaborate, absurdly formed haircut. She eyed the congregation carefully, a cryptic scowl on her face.

"Well, well, well..." she said slowly, her voice low and cold. "It's well past dusk, we all need good rest before the morning comes and what do I see here? A party! An obnoxiously loud libation! How..." she paused dramatically - and her face suddenly changed into the one of pure, almost childish happiness "...how come you didn't invite me, you bastards?!"

She almost ran inside, showing the girls a bag she kept hidden behind her back. The familiar clang of bottles bumping into one another made its contents obvious.

"The name's Jun'you!" said the girl, mercilessly squeezing onto the sofa just next to Kirov. "Pleased to meetcha finally, last days've been awfully busy and... OH!" she ended abruptly upon seeing the proud line of vodka bottles. "Who got that? No, seriously, screw you guys, for not letting me know earlier, I'm not gonna give ya any air support next sortie for that! Not cool, ya hear me, whoever organizied this party? Not cool!"

Half the night and an hour later the party finally started to dissipate. The destroyers left first, shortly after Jun'you's arrival. Kako and Kinugasa were next to go - the former by just rolling up on an empty armchair and falling asleep, the latter with a most polite, yet firm excuse. Aoba was the first to go down drinking, with just two rounds enough to make her feel drowsy and the fourth one knocking the lights out. Her incoherent mumbling caused an outburst of laughter across the room.

Somewhere between Aoba's capitulation and first o'clock, Tone made a mistake.

"So listen, newcomer!" she exclaimed, violently patting Kirov's back. "Tell me. Now. By my honour as a samurai, I have never-"

"Wait" Kirov interluded. "You're a _sa-mur-ay_? Like, a Japanese noble...?"

"But of course! All my captains came from lines of most noble and distinguished legacy in the-"

"Hah! I knew it, _blin_!"

Kirov jumped to her feet, blindly feeling the place by her side the sabre should have been. Except for she was still wearing a bathing yukata, not the uniform.

A minor obstacle.

"White sympathiser! _Aristokrat_! ****** As a true communist and follower of immortal Lenin's ideals I must take action!" she yelled, pointing a finger accusatively at the Japanese shipgirl.

"Hah! I accept the challenge!" Tone rose to her feet as well. "I dare you, newcomer! I double dare you!"

"Five thousand yens on Tone!" cheered Jun'you.

"With pleasure!" Kirov cracked her knuckles and pushed the table aside. " _Ya_ _raskulachyu ******* _you and then show you some _krasnuyu spravedlivost'_ _ ********_! Your reign of terror over all the workers and peasants in Japan ends here! I shall avenge the fallen at Tsushima here and now! Make _mat' Avrora *********_ pr-"

But before first punches could be thrown, a thunderous rattle shook the ceiling. Doors slammed upstairs, and someone's furious steps approached the entrance to the common room.

Kirov and Tone turned in unison towards the stairs, just as all lights in the room went on. In the blinding glare, they could barely make out a tall, slender figure. Kirov squinted, forcing her eyes to adapt to the glow - and the fuzzy silhouette started sharpening, its double edges merging into a rough approximation of...

Oh _blyad'_.

"It is well past midnight" the voice was calm, yet carried enough power to grind rocks to dust. Not to mention a slight, almost inaudible rising note of malice, ending the last word. "And as happy as I am to see my friends alive and well, could you please shut. The. FUCK. UP!"

"But Ashigara-dono!" Tone let out a bold laughter. "That's merely a friendly misunderstanding, no need to get so upset! You see, Kirov-dono here had her first sort-"

"I don't give a flying fuck about her or her stuff" the Hungry Wolf spat, eyeing the Russian cruiser as if she was an Abyssal intruder. "The party is over and I do not care about any of your idiotic shenanigans!"

She then climbed the stairs slowly, as if making sure her slowly fading presence helped the words sink in. As well as emphasize the unspoken "or else", hanging in the air.

"Geehee" Jun'you chuckled unconvincingly once Ashigara went of out sight, her voice pretty slurred. "Guess that means we're done fer tonight, right?"

And indeed, hers were the last words uttered that night, save for whispered good night wishes exchanged as Kirov and the rest ascended to their rooms.

* * *

 *** -** shashka (rus., шашка) - a type of eastern sabre, used by the Cossacks  
 **** -** aristokrat (rus., аристократ) - aristocrat  
 ***** -** ya raskulachyu (rus., я раскулачю) - I will dekulak you; lit. I will take your wealth away  
 ****** -** krasnuyu spravedlivost' (rus., красную справедливость) - red justice  
 ******* -** mat' Avrora (rus., мать Аврора) - mother Aurora


	4. IV - Configuration Unknown

**IV  
Configuration Unknown**

Admiral Okada rubbed his temples, trying to force himself awake. He didn't sleep well in the past few weeks - but last night was particularly awful. Chitose's squadron return and hearing subsequent revelations were not something one could just skim over and put the head to rest.

He rose his eyes to the other people assembled in the map room. Fusou sat calmly by the table housing the map of the western Pacific, her stoic aura extending well past her figure. Kaga made some last time adjustments to the map itself, placing markers and tokens around the Pearl Archipelago area. Hibiki and Suzukaze chatted excitedly in the corner, with Hiei - the newest member of the Staff - listening eagerly to their exchange. Chitose sat opposite to Fusou, her bandaged head hung low.

The last missing person entered - or more precisely, ran - into the room without any greeting other than a formal nod directed to everyone but Okada. She leaned against the wall just next to the door, as if ready to leave under the slightest of pretexts. Which, quite possibly, was the case.

Well, at least she _did_ show up.

Okada rose from his chair and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming. I am sorry for calling the meeting in such early morning hours, but recent developments require our immediate attention. Some of you know already, and for those who don't - the Pearl Archipelago has fallen to the Abyssals"

He picked a file of papers from a folder in front of him and laid it on the map table.

"Yesterday, at 1447 hours, Chitose-san's squadron spotted a massive Abyssal armada approaching the archipelago. Here..." he tapped the pile "...is a transcript of Chitose-san's report. I will send copies to each of you after the meeting. As for details - Chitose-san, will you please?"

He observed their reactions as the seaplane tender told her short, vivid tale. The look of surprise as Chitose mentioned hundreds of Abyssals converging on the islands. The terror as she told the story of helicopters being shot down and soldiers slaughtered in the complex. Finally, the slightest trace of relief as the recap reached its bittersweet conclusion in their escape.

"All details are in the documentation for you to review as well" he added as Chitose finished speaking. "Hibiki-chan, how much of our bauxite supply comes from the Pearls?"

"Sixty percent. Roughly" answered the destroyer after a short thought. "Of the remaining forty, twenty comes from mainland and the rest is from scavenging Abyssal convoys"

"Thank you. I think this illustrates the consequences pretty well" the admiral crossed his arms. "Without the archipelago's mines, we run at a risk of drying out our bauxite supplies sooner than any of us would like. This means no spare parts available and no way to replace lost planes. We'd be sitting ducks against any coordinated force of Wo-class units. And with other countires fighting against the Abyssals on their own, we can't just import our supplies or take them from anyone"

Using a small remote, he activated the ceiling-mounted projector. Kaga closed the window shutters, blocking what little light did the dawning sun cast into the room. A series of photos begun cycling on the wall, showing airborne and satellite photos of the archipelago and its islands.

"Our objective for the nearest future is to find a way to retake the islands. We will start with a small reconnaissance group, sent to probe the enemy defences…"

"I object"

Okada turned to the assembled shipgirls, surprised. This was the first time Ashigara spoke during any of their briefings since… a long time. And the short, snappy tone she used bore little hope for the continuation to be a one he'd like to hear.

"Yes…?"

"If the invasion took place yesterday, the enemy is not entrenched yet. We should strike hard and fast, with all shipgirls we have at our disposal"

She pushed herself towards the map table, pointing at the main island.

"We all know how Abyssals operate; majority of that force has probably already moved on to other targets and dispersed across the Pacific. My division can lead the counterattack even now!"

Okada took a deep breath, thinking how to address this development. And not getting disctracted about the thoughts of Ashigara's hand almost breaking his neck a few weeks earlier.

Luckily, Kaga was there to save the day.

"We know nothing about further Abyssal moves. They might have left the base, but they might have started fortifying it as a staging area instead. We can walk straight into a trap"

"Or surprise them!" Ashigara was relentless. "But fine! Just to let you know - I refuse to take part in another ill-conceived operation! We either move in now and strike the Abyssals before they can regroup - or I stay at base and my division with me!"

"Ashigara-san…" Fusou's peaceful, calm voice joined the argument "...your idea, while bold, might have most unfortunate consequences. All the admiral wants to avoid unnecessary risks, so-"

"Don't you tell me about risks! Back there, at Ulithi-"

"ENOUGH!"

Okada slammed both hands against the desk, the sudden outburst managing to quiet Ashigara.

"Silence" he said harshly, lowering his voice. "This whole speculation is not based on any knowledge. I am not sending any of you mindlessly into battle, not knowing what to expect. And this is my final word. Here..." he put another pile of papers on the map table "...is my proposition for the first phase of operation. You are to familiarize with this documents and think of any meaningful comments or changes you'd make. We meet up in two hours from now to discuss and finalize the plan. You are dismissed!"

All staff members nodded in acknowledgement, took their copies and left the room - with two exceptions; Ashigara who just stormed out without a word as soon as she got permission to leave, and Kaga who closed the door once marauding Fusou left the map room.

Okada felt the anger leak away, with only emptiness left behind. A sudden outburst pushed him towards confrontation, but once adrenaline rush passed, he could only limp back to his chair, a cold shower of realization sweeping through his mind.

One way or another, all Myokous shared Ashigara's thoughts. Sure thing, none of them would lash out the way the Hungry Wolf did - but facing Myokou's distant politeness or Haguro's silent nods hurt as much as Ashigara's biting rage. And it didn't help he knew some other ships shared the sentiment. He tried to make amendments. He tried to bridge the gaps. But most of it - if not everything - was in vain. And the only person to blame was the one he saw every morning in the mirror.

"Admiral?"

Only after a longer while did he register Kaga was still in the room, a concerned look on her face.

"Take a seat please" he gestured. "I... I need some advice. This was not the way I expected it to be. Totally"

"You hoped Ashigara-san would forfeit this meeting as well?"

"No. I am glad she came. The base needs her. Even with Myokou and Haguro back to teaching, the Academy is hopelessly understaffed. If this meeting is the first sign of her returning to active duty, I can't complain"

"I see. So where is the problem?"

"I... I made this draft with Hikari in mind. Operation Hikari, I mean. My orders were reckless back then, so I took a different approach this time. A few months ago, I would have suggested an all-out assault myself, just like against the Princess at Ulithi. But now I wanted to take it one step at a time. So that we don't find ourselves overextended. So that none of you finds herself in Nachi's place. Yet... Ashigara acts exactly opposite to what I'd expect"

Kaga pondered on the answer for a while.

"I think she blames herself"

"What?" Okada straightened up, giving the flagship a confused look. "She was pretty straightforward about my orders... being responsible for killing Nachi. Called me a murdered in front of everyone else"

"On the outside. I do not visit cruiser dorms too often, but hear conversations here and there. She was there, with Nachi, facing the Princess. I heard some shipgirls saying she keeps blaming herself for not protecting her injured sister"

"You mean she has some kind of... survivor's guilt?"

"I do not want to jump to conclusions. As I said, this is all gossip what I heard, not solid facts"

"I see..." he looked at the images flashing on the wall. A few minutes passed in silence, as he tried to put all the pieces to their places - if not together, then to a kind of 'ready to use' drawer. Kaga spent this time to briefly go through the operation's draft.

"Thank you" Okada finally said. I am not keeping you anymore. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions on the plan.

"Understood, admiral" the flagship rose up and left the room, leaving their commander alone.

* * *

Kirov was in the dorms' common room when the alert sounded. A shrill, piercing voice of outdoor speakers cut through late morning air.

"Aoba, Kinugasa, Tone, Kirov, Ryuujou and Kikuzuki, please report to the docks. I repeat..."

The Russian cruiser rose her eyes from the ballistic tables sheet she was studying. Across the desk, Aoba stopped scribbling in her notepad. She listened to the looped announcement not even hiding her excitement.

"This is it, Kirov-chan! Our first combat mission! Gassa! Gassa, are you ready?!" she jumped to her feet and ran upstairs, joining the suddenly awoken commotion on the upper floor.

Kirov closed the textbook, letting out a sigh. The pace at which Raiushima operated was still... overwhelming.

Other girls were already in the armory when Kirov, Aoba and Kinugasa crossed the entrance. The Russian cruiser quickly took her place inside the pen, glad to see Nastia and Zvezda - her two personal faires - ready for work.

Tone stood at the top of the slope, hands on her hips and face radiant with excitement.

"Listen up" she started "we're going as escorts today! Our target is the Pearl Archipelago, several hundred kilometers south of Raiushima. The base has recently fallen under Abyssal onslaught, we are to investigate enemy defences in preparation for a counterstrike!"

"Here's the plan" Ryuujou unfurled a small scroll; its initially blank surface quickly started filling up, ink lines seemingly seeping out of parchment itself and creating a pretty detailed map of the archipelago. "The Pearls' been taken by a surprise Abyssal strike yesterday. If it weren't for Chitose-san and her squad, we'd probably be still in dark regardin' this; no ships or aircraft escaped the invasion, all personnel is considered missin' - or worse. Our job today..." she started drawing lines on the map with her finger "...is to get in, launch recon planes, get data and get out. Ya cruisers'll make sure my Saiuns still've got a place to land if we get spotted. Kikuzuki-chan'll keep an eye out on those pesky subs"

"Not that any of you can help me anyway" muttered the destroyer, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"I'm takin' a squad of dive bombers with me, so if ya spot somethin' just lemme know. Any questions?"

Aoba rose her hand.

"What about those new Abyssals we keep hearing about? What do we know?"

"They're big, bad 'n ugly" chuckled Ryuujou. "Seriously now, we don't plan to meet 'em. We know next to nothing 'bout 'em and if they're really a new battleship class, we ain't gonna last long in a shootin' competition. We need to do our best to stay clear of 'em. Anythin' else?"

* * *

Raiushima was already a borderline case when it came to temperature - and it only got worse the more south they went. Even the water seemed to get warmer under the glaring sun; Kirov could swear she saw billows of vapour rise from the calm surface. She fully understood why Japanese shipgirl's outfits stemmed so far from what should a military uniform look like.

From the distance, Pearl Islands didn't seem special at all; volcanic peaks rose from the ocean, their young slopes covered with what sparse vegetation was capable of living on ash and pumice. Through binoculars, she could have made out sad remnants of base's infrastructure; burnt out warehouses shells or collapsed mine entrances - as well as new, bizarre structures rising in their place.

Ivory-white, corallike shapes grew directly from the ground. Some created solid blocks, not unlike buildings making up the Raiushima base. Others grew horizontally, extending from devastated concrete far into the sea, forming piers, breakwaters and pens. Here and there, artillery turrets blobbed directly from the ground, long barrels sticking out from beneath a cover of bony carapace.

"They're fast, bastards" Ryuujou shook her head. "Buildin' stuff on their own like it was growin' rice"

"They are not foolish" Tone smirked bitterly "They know those islands are important and it is no surprise they fortify them. The question is - is this just supposed to be a stronghold? Or a staging area for attacks further on?"

"One way to find out..."

The carrier spun in place, her primary scroll unfurling into a flight deck. Three paper figures detached from the surface and rose into the air, turning into miniature airplanes on their way. Their engines buzzed loudly, and the flight gained altitude with surprising speed, heading towards the islands.

Behind her, Kirov heaved heavily. The heat was building up - and her dark uniform and long coat did little to alleviate the suffering she had to endure. And she thought Novorossiysk or Sevastopol were warm places...

Hunched over, hands on her knees, she tried to get a hold of herself. _It is just heat_ , she thought, unpinning her shirt's top button. _You can manage_...

"...you alright?" a voice swam slowly across thick air, sounding distant and afar. She blinked twice, somewhat regaining focus in her eyes, and looked up to see Aoba's concerned face.

" _Da_ -hai..." she muttered, her own mind unable to decide on a language to use.

"My gosh!" the reporter cruiser quickly crouched, grabbed some water with her cupped hands and splashed it all over Kirov's face. It was salty and warm - but at least somewhat cooler than the suffocating, tropical nightmare enveloping her from all sides.

"Where's your water?" Aoba's second question came in much clearer. "Don't tell me you didn't..."

"I drank it all underway" Kirov took off her hat and dunked her whole head underwater for as long as her lungs permitted. The world she saw upon resurfacing was a much better place. A cooler one. Clearer too.

"Don't do this!" she heard Kinugasa gasp, a pure horror in the cruiser's voice. "You're going to ruin your hair! All that salt...!"

"C'mon Gassa!" Aoba sighed, frustrated. "She was about to capsize from overheating and you worry about her hair?"

"Not worry..." Kirov pushed her head once more beneath the surface, letting the cooling warmth replace suffocating heat once more. The feeling was almost as good as Gangut's home-brewed _samogon_ after a long sortie. "Thanks for concern"

Kikuzuki watched the whole scene from distance with disbelief. Why she always seemed to end up with the loudest company possible? How was she supposed to do her job?

She shook her head, and readjusted the sonar's probe. The box at her belt had three cables sticking out - two led downwards, to twin plastic floats and their embedded microphones, while the third one went upwards and split into a pair of headphones. She let her mind sink into the ocean's constant hum, searching for anything suspicious; like a sound of hostile sonar or the distinct vibration produced by a sneaking submarine.

The latter was, of course, the first sound she spotted just as her mind managed to filter out the cruisers' pointless chatter. Almost too late.

"Contact" she spoke to the radio. "Single Abyssal, two hundred thirteen degrees. Moving in to engage"

She quickly steered to the side, setting propulsion boots to flank speed. Flicking a switch on the box, she turned the sonar into active mode. A wrist-mounted display also came to life, showing a map of the seabed below them, updated every second with a new sonar sweep.

And there she was. An Abyssal submarine, quickly going up to launch her torpedoes.

 _Shame this won't happen_.

Ryuujou and other ships started zigzagging, throwing the submarine's aim off. The few seconds that this manouver bought were enough to reach the enemy position. At flank speed, she zoomed past the seemingly inconspicuous patch of water, dropping depth charges in her wake. Muffled explosions came a while later, as geysers of water broke the calm surface. One of them carried streaks of black ichor, the thick liquid dissipating in raining seawater.

"One down" reported the destroyer. "No idea if she signaled other Abyssals, I'm resuming my patrol"

From Aoba's perspective, the submarine's attack - and the spectre of their mission being compromised - made time slow down to a crawl. The heat seemed to melt minutes into a formless stretch, filled with anxious horizon gazing. The second submarine they expected never came… but that didn't make their situation better.

The carrier relied orders to her planes, coordinating the sweep above the Pearls. Even with Sauins' extraordinary speed, crossing the archipelago required some time. She could have heard muffled sounds of Abyssal anti air guns and blooms of black flak filling the air above the closest island - but apart from that, the battle was out of their sight. Almost unreal.

She glanced over to other cruisers. Even Kako's regular slackery was gone, replaced by tense vigilance. Their guns swept the horizon, ready to open fire as soon as something appeared within range.

"First flight's comin' back…" Ryuujou reported. "The others should be returnin' soon… Aw crap..."

"What is it?" Furutaka's voice was steady, with just a hint of a worried undertone.

"Second flight reports movement out of harbour… We've got a task force comin', bearin' oh-four-seven!"

"What's the composition?"

"Two destroyers… Four cruisers, type unknown… One larger ship... configuration unknown"

"What do you mean 'configuration unknown'?!" Kinugasa turned in the given direction. The shock in her voice was barely concealed.

"That it's not lookin' like any Abyssal we have on record" Ryuujou pressed her earphone tight, trying to make sense of the flood of reports coming in.

"Cruisers!" Furutaka rose her hand. "Form up on me, we're engaging the enemy head on!"

Five ships assembled a tight diamond formation and skimmed northwest, as Ryuujou and Kikuzuki headed towards the open ocean, fast enough to outpace potential submarine ambush, yet slow enough to remain in Saiun's recovery range.

They got their first clear glimpse on enemy ships just a few minutes after they split from the flagship. The cruisers turned out to be a mix of Chi and He-class - nothing a heavy cruiser force wouldn't be able to handle. The unidentified ship, however, was a different case.

Aoba's instinct forced her to reach for her camera - which, obviously, was stowed far away, safe in cruisers' dorm. Instead, she activated the recording device integrated into her rigging, cursing the poor quality her report would have.

"What the hell is that?!" Kinugasa yelped uncomfortably close behind her.

The Abyssal flagship - there was little chance the ship could be anything else - was overwhelming. Its wide, muscular body would be almost three metres tall - if it wasn't for a massive, thick carapace hunching it towards the surface. It extended downwards, covering its head - assuming the monster had one - with only pulsating red visors marking the place where its face should be. Four wide, flat bulges covered the majority of its surface, each sporting a set of triple barrels. The monster moved slowly and awkwardly, the sheer mass of armour visibly weighing it down.

"Split up and engage the cruisers!" Furutaka commanded. Following a rehearsed plan, Aoba and Kinugasa broke off the formation, as Furutaka with Kako took the other side. Kirov remained in the middle, zigzagging in hopes of attracting the Abyssals' attention.

Both cruiser forces exchanged their salvos simultaneously; a high explosive shell blasted upon impacting Aoba's armoured plate causing little harm, while the closest Chi-class tripped over from a direct hit and crashed into the waves. Kirov sped forward, aiming for the destroyers.

Her guns blazed, shells following their flat trajectory. Using their agility, two pseudowhales fit within the salvo's spread and rushed forward, firing shots at Kako and Furutaka. This time, Kirov triggered her turrets individually to ensure vibrations wouldn't disrupt her aim. The shots connected, shells ripping the closest destroyer's plating like wet cardboard. The second foe got hit mid-air by Furutaka's impromptu salvo.

"That's the power of a real heavy cruiser!" she heard a booming boast.

 _Yeah, sure_. She thought, gritting her teeth. She needed to ask Zvezda for some urgent adjustments…

To her sides, Aoba and Kinugasa finished off the second Chi-class, while Kako mauled the last remaining cruiser to death with relentless ferocity. This left the battleship along against their force…

Their rapid movements prevented the behemoth from taking a precise aim. It turrets rotated slowly, with the rest of the body lumbering around awkwardly like a crude puppet. Limp arms, hanging from underneath the carapace, swayed around inertly, the undead feel they had only amplified by their pale flesh.

Furutaka rejoined Kako, and the two cruisers started circling around the battleship at full speed, spraying its armour with shells. Aoba and Kinugasa formed a second, wider circle. Explosions and ricochet sparks pocked the Abyssal's thick shell - but not even a smallest dent appeared. Kirov's long range salvos also had predictable effect.

"We need to get closer!" commanded Furutaka. "Prepare the torpedoes, on my-"

A series of spiky protrusions slided out from beneath the battleship's carapace. They quickly bent upwards - and their tips erupted with flames, spitting small caliber shells towards the circling cruisers. Surprised, the shipgirls broke off the formation - giving the battleship an opening it needed.

A deafening roar broke the air as both right turrets finally got a chance for a clean shot. Stunned, Kirov barely heard the scream of Kinugasa taking a direct hit. The cruiser tumbled towards her sister, her rigging falling apart. Armour plates protected her body - but she was knocked out unconscious.

"GASSA!" Aoba cried desperately, barely able to hold her hurtling sister.

"YOU!" Furutaka and Kako turned back, ignoring the hail of shells send by the battleship's defences. Bits and pieces got ripped off their equipment with every hit - but they persisted, relentlessly pushing closer. Kirov followed in their tracks - but before any of them could close enough to have any hope of penetrating the armour, she heard a low buzz of incoming planes.

"Sorry for delay, I'd to recover one Saiun and couldn't launch 'em on time!" Ryuujou's voice crackled in their radios.

The battleship's secondaries bent even further up, taking aim. Billows of flak erupted in the air above them - but the Abyssal noticed that new threat far too late.

Two dozen Ryuusei bomber dropped from the cloudless sky, geysers of water erupting all around their target. Explosions blossomed on the battleship's carapace, a low, furious rumble indicating that finally something managed to harm the hulking colossus.

"Last Sauin is comin' back right now! Cruisers, disengage, we're headin' home!"

As Furutaka and Kako escaped from the Abyssal secondaries' range, Kirov skimmed towards Aoba. The reported cruiser moved slowly, her sister's body visibly weighing her down. Kirov grabbed Kinugasa and helped Aoba adjust the hold, the unconscious cruiser's now mass distributed equally between two healthy ships. Blood dripped from Gassa's injuries, and her leg was bent at an unnatural angle.

"Thanks" panted Aoba, the cheerful light almost completely extinguished in her eyes.

"She will be alright" the Russian cruiser said, mirroring her partner's worried glances.

"I know"

Behind them the wounded Abyssal battleship's roar echoed against the archipelago's volcanic slopes.


	5. V - Reawakened

**V  
** **Awakened**

"Excuse me!"

Aoba brushed the curtain aside, crossing from the entrance hall into the docks' ward. Kirov followed her, holding their 'get well' present in hands. The pink-haired cruiser stopped after a few steps to take a look around. The corridor stretched to both sides, with individual rooms hidden between curtains.

"Shouldn't Akashi be tending to the injured?" Kirov asked incredulously, seeing no soul in sight.

"There is little she can do after fixing the wounds" Aoba walked up to the random room and slowly pulled the curtain aside, revealing an empty bed. "Once immediate injuries are patched up and there is no immediate danger, the fairies take over. And they are not the most sociable kind around…" she added dejectly.

Luckily enough, Kinugasa's ward was one of the closer ones. The sight it contained was definitely not a memory Kirov would like to keep from her stay on Raiushima.

The cruiser laid sleeping under a clean, white sheet, the visible part of her torso clad in a simple gown. Her pretty face was maimed with bruises and barely healed cuts. Her long hair was nowhere to be seen; instead a sterile bandage wrapped the top of her head tightly. Monitoring equipment measured pulse and other parametres, their low, barely audible hum filling the cramped space. PVC tubes stuck out of her exposed arm, leading to and from sacks filled with medical liquids, hanging from a wall-mounted peg above the machinery. Her breathing was stable and peaceful, even if shallow. On a small bedside table lied a small pile of handmade 'get well' cards, origami cranes and a box of chocolates. Kirov added their cards and cranes to the pile, topping the chocolate box with a pack of halva she took from her supplies.

"Akashi-san said she had a lot of luck" Aoba's voice was flat and completely purged of its usual cheer. "Shrapnels in head, broken ribs, fractured pelvis and skull. If it hadn't been for the rigging to absorb the majority of the impact, she might have not returned at all"

They stood in silence for a longer while, accompanied only by the machines' artificial melody. Aoba gently stroke her sister's hand, her gaze skipping between Kinugasa's still features and weakly moving chest. Kirov stood half a step behind, her thoughts returning to the battle they just fought, and further beyond that point - towards Vladivostok and Molotov.

"You know what?" Aoba finally spoke again, her voice breaking the uneasy silence. There was a surprising strength in it, filled with resolve Kirov would never have expected from the joyful reporter.

"Yes?"

"I will find that Abyssal. _We_ will. And we will make her pay. And then…" she turned to Kirov, a forced smile not extending past the line of her lips "...I will write down this story. It'll be my best report ever. I will make Gassa proud with it"

The monitor beeped out of sync. They both turned towards Kinugasa, as a disturbed grimace crossed her face, a muted groan of painful discomfort coming from underneath the oxygen mask. But the commotion only lasted a few seconds; as suddenly as it happened, she relaxed, drifting back into her still slumber, the monitor confirming the situation returning to normal.

"She must be d-dreaming of that battle" Aoba said, her voice cracking mid-sentence.

Kirov just looked down at the patient, unable to find an appropriate words to say.

* * *

Akashi cocked her head to the side, unsure if she heard the question right.

"With all due respect, Admiral-"

"Is it possible?" Okada repeated impatiently.

"The-o-re-ti-cal-ly..." Akashi dragged the syllables out, hoping to buy some time to rephrase the idea she had in mind. The only result was making the drumbeat of admiral's fingers on her desk even more frantic.

She glanced at her assistant, using the last second she had to consider calling for help. Yuubari was quick with witty answers... but taking her wild imagination into account, she would most likely agree with Okada's insane idea. No, that was out of the question.

"But only theoretically. We do not have the facilities here, and-"

"The construction pool has sufficient dimensions, and the dome we use as cover was designed to withstand small nuclear blasts, is that correct?"

During her first month on Raiushima she used to be happy that she served under an admiral who actually bothered to read technical specifications and wasn't a complete ignorant. Now she realized those features were a double-edged sword.

"There's a difference between a fireball and subsequent shockwave from the outside and a force, even much weaker, being applied from the inside... Of course, such an experiment would be possible, _theoretically_ , but taking the risk and current circumstances into account..."

"Those circumstances are the exact reason I insist we make an attempt. This new type of Abyssal is dangerous - and the only way to learn more is by-"

"Commander!" Akashi finally got tired of subtleties. "I'd be wary to bring here a single, disarmed Abyssal construct in here, and you want to capture a full-scale battleship and study it here?! What for?! What is the purpose!?"

She heard rustling coming from Yuubari's general direction. Without fail, the cruiser decided to shift her focus from work at hand to their discussion in the worst possible moment.

"Let's discuss this in the main chamber" Akashi grabbed Okada's gloved hand and pulled him out of the workshop before Yuubari could say anything.

Hauling the admiral behind at a quick, almost running pace, she crossed rooms filled with machinery, workbenches, hanging fairy quarters and other stuff only she and her assistant had any idea how to use. Here, below the base's surface, in corridors reaching deep beneath the mountain's bulk, laid her little empire. And they were heading towards the place she would consider her throne room.

The construction pool was covered by a massive dome, surrounded by machinery meticulously monitoring the summoning process. The air was thick, its metallic smell mixed with acidic scent of concentrated repair fluid. Apart from maintenance fairies and themselves, there was only one person inside. Upon noticing her, Okada jolted back hard enough for Akashi to be forced a step back.

"I'm back, Ashigara-san" the chief engineer announced, by no means fazed.

The cruiser did not tear her glassy eyes from the dome's rough surface. Her breathing was slow and heavy, in synch with massive bellows circulating the air in and out from underneath the metal shell. There was some frantic anticipation in the way she acted, separating her from the outside world like a dome of her own.

Akashi let go of Okada and approached the pool, leaning her back against the cover's arching surface.

"So, commander, here we can speak freely"

Okada kept his eyes on Ashigara, the cruiser ignoring him completely. Once initial shock dissipated, a nagging question took its place: _why is he here?_

Ever since their confrontation following Nachi's death, he had the feeling that the control over the base was slipping through his fingers. It was not visible to the outsider - the shipgirls obeyed his orders and the base itself remained completely operational - but it became obvious once one looked at finer details. Ashigara ignoring Staff meetings. Thick silence hovering in the air whenever Hikari veterans returned from their sorties. The visible fracture between old and new shipgirls, the divide running through the day of Nachi's demise. And many, many other signs, every new day forcing him to notice something he wished he didn't have to.

It was his fault Raiushima was falling apart - and it was his duty to stop this deterioration before it was too late. He took the first step by consecrating the shrine. All that was left was follow up - all the way through this journey of thousand miles.

He took a deep breath. No, he must not fear Ashigara. If fixing this mess meant going through her hellish fury again - then there was no alternative.

"The first, most obvious and official reason is to study this new type of Abyssal. Learn its weaknesses. Find patterns along which they evolve and upgrade, and thus find counters to that"

"And the second, ulterior and unofficial motive would be...?" Ashigara's voice suddenly stabbed the air, her gaze still focused on the dome.

 _There goes nothing._

"To find a way to bring Nachi back"

Akashi eyes widened as she only barely kept her jaw from dropping. Ashigara finally tore her attention away from the dome completely. Faint electric illumination glistened in her eyes, their sight going straight through Okada - and past, into infinity behind his back.

"The Abyss and your… kind seem to share a connection" he pressed on. "If we can get a specimen to study..."

"So why won't you order one of us dissected?" Ashigara stammered, quickly approaching Okada and stopping only once their faces almost touched. With every step the raging fire in her eyes grew, its scorching heat engulfing the narrowing space between them.

"Don't have the balls now, right? Of course you don't. Or are those some new regrets surfacing? Kinugasa's barely holding together and whose fault is that? Who sent only a token force against an Abyssal-infested fortress, only to be slaughtered? Huh?! ANSWER ME, OKADA!"

Admiral's face twitched at the mention of Kinugasa's state. His breathing raced.

"Everything I'm doing has the good of all of you in mind" he replied silently, his voice rising with each word. "You think you are the one I am afraid of the most, Ashigara? You think I don't see what is happening?! You think I am happy to see you and your sisters suffer?! Your plan could have seen all of you, every single one, die, if the Abyssals responded in kind! Do you think I don't rea-"

"YOU! DON'T! KNOW! SHIT! DRYLANDER!" Ashigara thrusted her fist against the wall just behind Okada's back repeatedly, each blow making the thick steel plate cave in.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING! YOU MURDERED NACHI, ALMOST KILLED KINUGASA AND NOW WANT TO BRING LIVING ABYSSALS HERE?! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US WOULD DO A BETTER JOB THAN Y-"

"That part actually makes sense"

Akashi's voice, in spite of - or maybe because of - its calmness broke through Ashigara's roar, throwing the cruiser's onslaught off balance.

"What do you mean...?" Ashigara's snarl teemed with barely contained fury.

"I read papers from other bases... The Americans, the Russians, the British... They all have their projects. And it is true, there are strong suspicions that we and the Abyssals share parts of our..." she stumbled, looking for a good word "...nature"

"Bullshit" spat the Hungry Wolf. "This is utter bullshit and if there is any way we can bring Nachi onee-san back, it's by using your-"

Suddenly the machines overseeing the pool let out a shrill alarm. Orange lights flashed along the chamber's walls. The chief fairy flew towards Akashi, her squeaky, accelerated voice just a high-pitched buzz to an untrained ear.

"What's happening?" Okada eyed the dome confused. He participated in several summonings - but had never seen or heard alarms go off like that.

"Energy spike. Off the scales" dryly replied the chief engineer, letting only a fraction of her attention turn away from the fairy's frantic report.

Okada's brain slowly switched back from combat mode; it took him a while to connect the dots.

"The Phoenix? Is she..."

"No idea. We used different proportions this time. Bauxite conservation. Out of my way, I need that console"

* * *

A flash.

A second sun ignited on the clean skies, its light so white and pure it expelled all colours from the world.

A molten hammer fell from above, the furious element dissolving and tearing apart her body, turning her mind into nothingness.

Abyss. Darkness. Silence

A still chaos of mindless thoughts.

Flashes of life, concentrated points of vagueness, fleeting foam in the ocean of nothingness.

Emptiness takes a form once again.

The Abyss is thick and oily. It presses from all sides, crushing. But the feeling changes. The pressure switches, comes from... inside?

She has a shape again. And she moves. Gently sinking to the bottom.

A strange sound vibrates all around her, as the Abyss around disappears.

Her new self spasms and quakes, mind unable to fit in the new form. Lungs inflate painfully as air enters them for the first time. Eyes sting when a narrow band of light - almost as blinding as the primordial flash - appears all around her. The crack in the emptiness that replaced the Abyss widens.

Words. Strange sounds on the brink of comprehension. Motion. Crew.

The flood of sensations overwhelms her. Minds screams for mercy, tries withdrawing into a safe place - but there is none left.

Somebody descends down the pit.

* * *

Once the hot, metallic steam escaped the emptied construction pool, Akashi quickly jumped in to recover the newly summoned shipgirl. Okada and Ashigara rushed to help her at the same moment - but chief engineer promptly ignored them, her attention completely devoted to the newcomer.

Her naked body had a slight tan, despite being freshly molded in complete darkness. Slim, yet powerfully built, the girl would easily tower above anyone in the room, should she be able to stand up. Her red eyes fluttered and darted randomly to the sides, confused and scared. Streaks of coal-black hair, messy and covered by a thin film of dried out construction liquid, reached well below her waist. Muscles contracted randomly, forcing Akashi to use all her strength to keep the girl in her embrace. Wet, sickening cough told the story of lungs learning to take their first breaths.

The inferno in Ashigara's eyes got extinguished in a fraction of a second. She stopped in her tracks and just stood in complete silence, watching Akashi's actions. After a while, to Okada's surprise, she just turned on the ball of her foot and rushed out of the chamber, steps echoing off metal walls.

In the faint light he thought he saw tears sparkling on her face - though it might as well has been vapour condensing from the thick, hot air.

"Help me" Akashi's voice was surprisingly imperious. "Grab that towel, we need to dry her out"

The newborn body spasmed and twitched, mind adjusting to its new vessel. Even after half a year on Raiushima and over two years of theoretical preparation, Okada still found himself baffled by the core idea behind every shipgirl's existence. Imagining a ship having an actual soul was one thing, difficult as it was. Seeing that soul incarnate into a seemingly normal human body was something completely different. And a thought experiment they went through during their courses in order to realize the scope of this breakthrough - imagining the reverse, a human mind being forced into a ship's hull - bordered on mind break.

"It's OK. Really. You're safe here, calm down" Akashi spoke in a soft tone, completely unlike the one she used to commandeer Okada around. The result was clearly visible; with every minute, the newborn girl calmed down, her breathing steadying, mind and body slowly tuning in.

In any other situation, Okada would gape in awe at the beautiful, naked figure in front of him, literally resting in his hands. But the surreality of the whole situation just turned his normal reactions off. The tickling sensation in his chest and elsewhere tried reminding him of what he should be feeling - but his mind just shut it out, concentrating on the task at hand.

After drying the newcomer out, Akashi wrapped the shipgirl in a thermal blanket - the girl shivered and trembled, even with the chamber being far warmer than the outside world. Next, she ordered Okada to bring some water. All that time, she kept speaking softly, locking the shocked shipgirl in a gentle embrace and trying to prompt her to answer.

Finally, after what seemed like the better part of the day - but barely took more than ten minutes - the newcomer managed to somewhat focus her sight on them. Red irises quivered, as eyesockets' fine muscles adjusted to yet another new task.

"Where... am... I...?" words barely managed to roll off her tongue, deformed and lumbering. Her voice was deep, but shaky and weak.

"In Japan. You're in a naval base"

"J-Japan...?"

"Yes. You're home" Akashi's eyes lit up with almost childish excitement, but she kept her voice motherly and caring. "What is your name? Can you tell us anything about yourself?"

"A flash... A roar... It burned..."

"A flash? Do you remember anything else?"

Okada felt his jaw drop. Could that be...?

"Akashi-san" he said silently, half-afraid he'd scare the vulnerable amazon. "I think... Maybe... Could that be Nagato? The flash and fire... It does sound like-"

"-a blast..." the engineer finished in his stead.

The newcomer observed them, every movement an evident, painful effort to her.

"Who... are y-ou?"

"I am Arashi Okada, commander of this base" the admiral bowed respectfully.

"And I am Akashi, repair ship. Pleased to meet you again, sister"

"S-sister...?"

"I'll explain everything, don't worry" Akashi sent her a smile worthy of a seasoned mother.

So the summoning was a success. And if his guess was correct...

Excited anticipation rushed in Okada's heart, almost completely flushing the memory of Ashigara's outburst from his mind. Ironically, this tiny remnant was enough to bring the whole event back, just as if his memory decided to inspect the seemingly insignificant speck before wiping it out of existence.

Ashigara's fist pounding against the wall still echoed in his ears. The feeling of the base slipping through his fingers returned.

"I'll be in my office" he said.

All the the excitement faded out, leaving only the dull, empty feeling permeating him ever since Nachi's death. His route to the surface was silent, with only the echo of his steps and an occasional curious fairy keeping him company.

* * *

"Cheers"

Sake's warmth spread throughout her body. Outside, the cold wind blew, its lashes crashing into the mountain's slope, rustling the dense forest. Thick clouds covered the sun; even though it was just late afternoon, it already felt like deep night had fallen over the base.

The pleasant feeling inside matched the warm colours they picked for the shrine's interior; wood was painted in hues of red and orange, and torches' dancing flames only amplified the atmosphere. The resident smell of burnt incense lingered in the air, tickling her nostrils.

"I miss you"

Ashigara put the cup down, resting it on the wooden tray with a silent click. The other cup was already cold, alcohol within untouched by living lips.

"I... I hoped maybe this time. I know Haguro nee-chan asked me to stop doing this... But I miss you so much..."

She poured another cup and dried it, all in a single, fluid motion.

In front of her, the wall of memory stood still, unflinching. Surrounded by scores of fairy names, Nachi's golden kanji glistened in the light, the only visible sign of her post-mortem existence.

She leaned back, slowly looking around the shrine for the hundredth time since its consecration. Memories of days spent together flashed in her mind, an incoherent stream of images, sounds and feelings.

She didn't even notice when the first tear rolled down her cheek.

With Okada was in sight, everything became simple. He was the one to blame. He was the one who gave the order Nachi so obediently followed. He was the one dodging responsibility, erecting shrines to silence his conscience and cowering behind the Staff's back when situation called for a decision.

But when she was alone, everything seemed to change. Doubts she despised even more than she hated Okada flooded her mind, dreadful and overwhelming.

She could have saved her.

She could have shot down that bomber.

It should have targeted her instead.

She should have rested on the bottom in Nachi's place.

Another cup. And another. Usually it helped, lulled her into the dark, sleepless oblivion. But today drowning those dark thoughts seemed impossible.

Akashi was at first reluctant to let her into the summoning pool's sanctuary. But once she brought the engineer here, to the shrine, once they talked in front of Nachi's resting place, she agreed. And so Ashigara participated in summonings. Sometimes helping. Sometimes just observing. Always hoping the rising dome would uncover the face she hoped to see the most.

But Nachi never came back.

Instead, she saw new faces. Often, witnessed saw the summoning pool still empty upon opening, despite Akashi's best efforts. She saw failed attempts. Miscarried beings, anonymous souls trapped in forms they neither deserved, nor she could comprehend. Disposing of them was an act of mercy that would forever taint her soul. She could not wrap her mind around how Akashi could retain her calm after seeing that on the daily basis.

Another cup.

And today. In her gut, she felt the solemn confidence it would be something special. That her patience would be rewarded. That the empty place by their table would once again be filled with Nachi's silent presence. A foolish, wishful thought. She knew that. Yet, when the alarms blared, for a few whiles she believed. She was sure that once the dome lifted, she would see Nachi - but instead, she found that new shipgirl. Another newcomer. Normally, she would just stay with Akashi, meekly accept the blow and do what had to be done.

But not in front of Okada. Of all people in the base, he was one that could not see any moment of her weakness.

"Onee-san..."

She clenched her teeth, letting out a painful sob. A seed of doubt, planted by Okada's insane idea, took root. Up to that point, she refused to believe his intentions were honest. But, if he really wanted to go to such lengths to find a way to bring Nachi back… Then maybe...

"Nagato"

She didn't hear another person enter the shrine. She didn't notice that person walk up to her. She only realized there was another presence in the nave when she felt a hand resting on her arm.

She turned round, surprised to face Myokou crouching behind her. Flames flickered in her dark eyes.

"H-huh?" she managed to spit out between sobs.

"The commander made an announcement. Nagato-san will be introduced to the fleet tomorrow morning"

Ashigara did not respond. Myokou glanced at the almost empty bottle and two cups resting on the tray. She didn't shake her head; she didn't say anything disapproving. She just smiled with that sad, understanding smile she put on all too often recently.

"I miss her too"

Only the crackling of fire and wailing storm filled the silence that followed. It was unbearable - but Ashigara struggled to recall words she could use to talk with the living. And those tiny roots in her mind grew, expanding, nurturing whatever doubts she already had. Sorrow, guilt, shame, anger - all mixed into a maelstrom she had no idea how to contain. But pieces slowly came together, something assembled from her thoughts' chaos.

It took her far too long to find the words to say:

"That was the last time"

Myokou did not respond, waiting for continuation.

"I won't bother Akashi anymore. We... _I_ need to move on"

A silent nod. No approval, no criticism. Just understanding.

"Nachi would hate seeing me sulking here. Would hate seeing me linger around her grave, when I have the two of you to live for. When there is the whole fleet depending on me"

This time it took Myokou a while to formulate an answer.

"I see" a small smile, genuine appeared on her face.

For Ashigara, it shone brighter than thousands of suns.

* * *

The laptop's screen was filled with tables and maps. In front of it, on a tea-stained sheet of paper, lied a draft of the plan he wanted to discuss with the Staff tomorrow. His gambit.

One layer lower, inside the middle drawer, laid his resignation. Signed, stamped and ready to be sent to Tokyo. A short, dry request to be relieved of command and transferred to another post. Nothing more, nothing less.

Nagato's arrival gave him a glimmer of hope. If this was a sign for the things to improve, then he must push on. If he managed to retake the Pearls with no casualties, then maybe he would prove to himself he can put Hikari behind. Maybe those shipgirls who lost their faith would at least partially forgive him.

If Orlov's suspicions were correct, the fleet needed a strong leader to unite behind, one that would be willing to push forward and bring them victory in the north. That was one thing he knew for sure. The other was that if he failed the fleet again, they would be much better off with someone more talented and competent.

He locked the laptop's screen and walked over to the window overseeing the base's harbour. In the dark, hidden behind a veil of torrential rain, the searchlights illuminating the approach were the only visible element. Some of his girls were there outside, in that wet, stormy hell. Patrolling, fighting, getting injured. Across the world the fleets fought against an unfathomable foe, possessing seemingly endless resources and hellbent on destroying mankind.

Not exactly a place to have doubts and be a weak admiral, right?

At first he didn't notice the rapid knock at his office's door, discarding it as an accidentally regular part of rain's melody. But when the rhythm repeated again, more strongly, he could not chalk that up as mere coincidence.

He checked the watch. It was just after ten - too late for any regular visit in his office. Did Sendai's twilight patrol meet some unexpected Abyssal force? Maybe something happened with Nagato? Or-

For the second time that day, he jolted back upon seeing the person on the other side of the door. Her purple uniform was soaking wet; water dripped down her long hair, heavy and messy. The overwhelming scent of menthol did very poor job in hiding the smell of sake. But her hazel eyes were sober and solemn. And so was her voice, for the first time in ages deprived of hate and venom:

"Good evening, admiral. May I?"


	6. VI - The Gathering Storm

**VI  
** **The Gathering Storm**

The hushed murmur of conversations filled the assembly hall; safe for expedition squadrons, all of Raiushima's shipgirls were present in the chamber. The atmosphere of nervous anticipation was clear; not counting Orlov's visit, this the admiral's first direct address to the fleet since the conclusion of operation Hikari. And his second official appearance since the consecration of the forest shrine.

"How is comrade Kinugasa?" Kirov leaned forward, reaching for Aoba's place in the row in front of her. The seat to Kirov's right - usually occupied by Tone's surprisingly calm and collected sister Chikuma - was empty, the shipgirl and her squadron not yet back from their nighttime sortie. To her left Kako dozed off, quite resistant to Furutaka's attempts to wake her.

"Better" a smile returned to Aoba's face, filling Kirov with relief. "Akashi said she woke up for a while last night. But is still very weak and cannot participate in operations for at least two weeks."

"I see. Good to hear."

"Yup, yup."

She was about to ask about Aoba's thoughts on the meeting's purpose - but her attempt was thwarted by the sound of entrance doors finally opening wide.

The admiral's steps resounded with surprising energy - not fitting the gloomy person she considered Okada to be. Then again, that grim, humourless admiral she knew didn't fit any description she heard from Orlov. The question was - which Okada was the actual one?

There was no time to delve on those deliberations, however. Staff members followed their admiral into the room, among them a person Kirov could not recognize; very tall, powerfully built, clad in a uniform barely containing her massive form. This imposing visage contrasted with her evidently confused behaviour; it seemed that the girl had problems coordinating her movements, like a person freshly awoken from a coma… or…

"This must be Nagato-san" she heard Furutaka's delighted squeal. "She looks so cool!"

The sound of furious scribbling in front of her meant Aoba's reaction was equally enthusiastic.

Nagato. The Combined Fleet's flagship from the days of the Old War. Well, this was surely an interesting development.

Suddenly the mood around her shifted again; the other girls' enthusiasm faded out, their attention focused on the person immediately following Nagato. A cruiser in purple uniform, her long hair cascading in a loose wave onto her arms.

"Ashigara?" Furutaka murmured, similar whispers coming from all around them. "But they said she boycotts all Staff meetings! What is she doing here...?"

The confrontation at the shrine and the subsequent incident at the dorms didn't let Kirov get any comprehensive experience about Ashigara ("explosive psycho" would surely be a word used by Kuybyshev) - but she knew enought to see that the shipgirl marching behind Nagato differed from the one she knew. There was still some sort of a raging, primal energy in her stride - but this time, it was focused and concentrated. Instead of radiating away, the flame was limited to an internal furnace, empowering her every movement.

 _Interesno *****_...

Okada took his place behind the pulpit, while Staff members spread along the first row. The newcomer stood at attention a bit to the admiral's side, arms crossed behind her back, the pose very natural and fitting. The only reason her domineering aura didn't dwarf Okada's presence was the evident anxiety radiating from her every action. Her eyes skimmed across the assembly, as if unable to properly comprehend the situation she found herself in.

Okada waited for a few seconds before speaking up:

"Good morning and thank you all for coming. I trust most of you heard the yesterday's announcement. Therefore, I will make this introduction short - but please do not underestimate its importance!" he pointed his finger up, underlining the last few words. "Today we all officially welcome a new face to Raiushima - the flagship of the Combined Fleet, lead ship of her class, Nagato-san!"

A hurricane of applause roared in the hall. Even with all the commotion, Nagato's booming voice echoes against the voice, like a thunder born in the eye of that joyful storm. Furutaka shoot up from her seat, jumping and cheering happily. Aoba took photos, the camera appearing in her hands seemingly out of thin air. Nagato bowed down, before following Okada's invitation and taking a seat among the battleships occupying the second row.

The admiral patiently waited for the applause to die out before continuing:

"This happy moment is something we all need those days. The Abyssal presence around the Pearl Archipelago is an unwelcomed development. There is no reason to beat around the bush - the bastards grabbed us with our pants down."

The hall darkened as automatic blinds covered the windows. The vast screen behind Okada's back came to life, splitting to a number of separate feeds. Each showed a bird eye's view on a set of volcanic islands, each taken from a different reconnaissance plane.

"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude towards Ryuujou-san and all the ships escorting her during their last sortie. You have shown exceptional bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and no praise can give you justice."

The following wave of applause was shorter and less cheerful - but the way the other girls turned towards the cruisers' seats made it clear stories spreading across the base were the ones of glory and triumph. From her place in the third row, Ryuujou sent a double thumbs up to Aoba and her friends, before standing up and directing the gesture towards the destroyers' section. Kikuzuki shrugged, her pale cheeks adorned with a surprisingly adorable blush.

As the cheer faded out, Okada produced a laser pointer from his pocket. The screen behind him changed again, the feeds closing down, a large map of the biggest Pearl island replacing them. A plethora of symbols and markers popped up, as the admiral began explaining:

"All bauxite mines and processing plants on the archipelago have been destroyed. What is worse, the Abyssals are building up some kind of docking facility, with heavy artillery emplacements and other fortifications. Similar structures were found in places the enemy used as staging areas for further incursions - Tierra del Fuego, Reykjavík, Saint Helen's Island and so on. This is their first outpost so close to Japan."

"Our primary objective is to retake the archipelago and restore our bauxite supply lines. Our stockpile is vastly insufficient for a prolonged campaign. Therefore, I am forced to impose heavy restrictions on carrier operations, as well as relegate additional expedition forces to scavenging operations. Even with those measures in place, we are effectively deprived of a large chunk of our fleet's firepower."

A disturbed murmur crossed the hall. Kirov just frowned. _They at least had carriers to worry about_.

"Unfortunately, this is not the end of bad news."

The screen went blank for a second, only for a footage of an Abyssal battleship - the one they fought two days before - to fill its whole area.

"Official designation from Tokyo is still pending approval - but I recommended assigning this new Abyssal type a temporal codename Mi-class. Our data on it is limited only to a few aerial photographies and two combat reports - but we already know this battleship class poses a threat comparable to Ru and Ta-classes. It has considerable armour and firepower, at the expense of speed and agility - with this specialization being even more evident than in Ru-class' case. Everything else is a matter of speculation. And this is why our campaign will have a second objective."

The recording paused in the moment the battleship unleashed its salvo - the one that crippled Kinugasa. Regardless of whether Okada's choice of moment was deliberable, the silence in the hall was palpable; even Aoba's scribbling stopped.

"Our first mission will be to lure out and capture one of those battleships."

The sound of Aoba's pen dropping out of her hand and rolling down the desk rumbled in the still air like an avalanche.

* * *

Half an hour later the room emptied, the last shipgirls leaving the door slightly ajar. Only Okada, his Staff and Nagato remained in the chamber.

"Hiei-san, Fusou-san, please take Nagato-san to docks and oversee the rigging test. Suzukaze-chan, Hibiki-chan - I am not holding you for now, we meet in twelve hours' time, as soon as Chikuma's convoy returns. Kaga-san, please instruct the fairies about new aircraft servicing procedure. Ashigara-san... I would like to have a word with you."

The Hungry Wolf calmly finished talking to Hiei before turning towards Okada.

"Yes, commander?"

Her voice returned to the harsh, unpleasant tone she dropped last night - but was at the same time far from the razor-sharp barbed wire it used to be.

"Thank you for changing your mind about the operation plan. Without-"

"Let me just make two thing clear, commander" without the contemptuous scowl, her face looked almost nice. "First, I am doing this for the fleet. I won't take back a single word I said so far. My participation is the only way to win this war - and you damn know this!"

With the corner of his eye he noticed Hiei rushing Nagato out of the room.

"Second..." continued Ashigara "...I am still reserving myself a right to do whatever I consider proper, regardless of the plan. Nobody dies on my watch, do you hear me?!"

"Yes" Okada clasped his hands, bowing down. "But the most important thing is that you are here and we can work together to defeat the Abyssals. And this is the only thing that matters now"

"Glad you finally understood" a prideful smirk bloomed on her face. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to review my gear."

As she turned on the heel and quickly marched out of the room, Okada took a glance at Kaga. The flagship returned the look, her face as blank and expressionless as always.

* * *

An enemy squadron came from the east, using the sun's glare as cover. If it wasn't for Haguro's keen eyes, they might have taken the shipgirls completely by surprise. Approaching Tone, she pointed towards the Abyssals, not willing to cause panic among the unexpecting convoy members.

"Oh! I see, I see! Quite a considerable foe we have there!" the other girl boomed, thoroughly trashing Haguro's attempts at discretion. At moments like this, she found it hard not to question Tone's sanity.

Haguro glanced back at the convoy. Drone barges carrying supplies from Japanese mainland were just machines, indifferent to incoming danger - but four destroyers making up the escort force were visibly disturbed by the news.

Mainland transport expeditions were a regular part of destroyers' school - their routes were relatively safe and navigation, while simple, provided valuable real life experience. With the fall of Pearl Archipelago, however, Abyssal incursions closer to mainland became more frequent. Even though mere days passed since Chitose's squadron brought those grave news, attacks intensified enough for the admiral to reassign larger ships to accompany each convoy.

To both Haguro's relief and dread, his decision has just proven to be right.

"Tokitsukaze-chan, lead the barges away from the Abyssals" she ordered. The tiny destroyer responded with a shaky salute and sped away, the drones' sensors picking up the movement and increasing their speed accordingly.

"So, how shall we approach this little problem?" Tone boomed again, rising binoculars to her eyes. "I see three cruisers, nothing we should be worried ab... wait..."

"What is it?" Haguro grabbed her own set, examining the Abyssal squadron.

"Two of them are Ne-class, I see their rigging clearly... but the third... it's most peculiar!"

It took a while of dabbling with the dials to get the focus right - but once blurry silhouettes cleared up, Haguro saw what Tone meant.

The Abyssal in the middle was slightly taller than the other two - around Ri-class' height. It was clad in some sort of body armour, a protective shell closing around its torso and arms. The head was enclosed in a helmet, its visor only a thin, horizontal line across the faceplate made of bony carapace. The armament - at least that visible from the distance - consisted of twin gun turrets, attached to ivory bracers covering her forearms.

"A-a princess?" Haguro stuttered, a wave of dread flooding her mind.

"Most unlikely" Tone's face turned into a bloodthirsty grimace, all too similar to Ashigara's. "Only a foolish noble goes into battle with just a handful of subpar retainers! And if it does..." her guns clicked, shells loaded into their chambers "...the world will be better off with one less foolhardy river barge!"

She dashed forward, water spraying and churning in her wake. Haguro took one last uneasy glance at the convoy - and after making sure the younglings were all speeding towards safety, she caught up with her companion.

They exchanged first, inaccurate salvos on the run. Escort cruisers loosened the formation, clearly trying to outmaneuver the shipgirls in order to reach the convoy. Haguro bit her lip. If even one of them gets past and gets into firing range...

"I'll take the one to the left, you go for the right!" Tone commanded. "We'll try to block the middle one with torpedoes and take her out together once the escorts are down!"

Acknowledging would be a pointless formality; Haguro just swerved to the side, lowering her tubes and firing a spread to intersect the strange cruiser's path. The Abyssal made a sharp turn, almost losing balance - only to find itself facing Tone's salvo. Its guns blazed - but frantic dodges made them too inaccurate to be a threat.

Shifting her attention, Haguro focused on the lone Ne-class in front of her. The sounds of battle and Tone's exalted screams became distant; her attention concentrated on the foe at hand. Just as Nachi taught.

She spared a split of second to wish their onee-san was there as well. She dedicated all that training to her memory. She hoped Nachi would be proud of her, if she only could see her fight...

They went head-on, exchanging shot after shot. The Abyssal dashed to the sides, its agility exceeding Haguro's - but inferior in terms of firepower and armour. What Haguro couldn't dodge, she could just shrug off. Her bow and rigging absorbed the second salvo, her riposte finally reaching its mark. Steel modules around her bent and creaked from the strain - but the Abyssal's painful screech announced she managed to inflict more damage than she had to suffer herself.

They passed by at staggering speed, the Abyssal not turning to continue the fight; instead, it sped up even more, relentless in its charge towards the convoy. Its rigging was completely shattered on one side, ivory splinters falling away and slowly sinking in the uneasy sea. A trail of dark droplets danced in its wake, trickling from gashing wounds in its body.

"Stop!" Haguro shouted, firing her guns as soon as they finished turning, not even bothering to synchronize the salvo. Her rigging spasmed and quaked, rivets and loosened bits blown away by the repeated shockwave.

Shells arched upwards, as the Abyssal cruiser shot its own, desperate salvo towards the convoy. First projectiles missed their mark completely - but Haguro's penultimate shell finally hit, slamming onto the cruiser's exposed head. The explosion drowned out the inhuman shriek of agony.

Distant splashes erupted harmlessly in the convoy's wake, too far to be of any threat. Haguro let out a sigh of relief; her kids were safe.

This respite could not have been long, though; she turned back towards the battlefield, seeing Tone finish the other Ne-class in a snap, point-blank salvo of her guns. The Abyssal went down in silence, quickly swallowed by restless waves. They turned towards the squadron leader…

...only to see it stationary, at a safe distance from either of them. Its guns were at the ready, its stance vigilant and flawless in form - but just waiting, not taking any action.

Haguro gulped, approaching Tone. The electric glare of the Abyssal's yellow eyes did not leave them, disturbingly piercing and attentive. The cruiser observed them through its visor's narrow slit, carefully examining their actions. There was obvious, malicious curiosity in its gaze. Something all too familiar for Haguro to handle.

Those eyes were just like Nachi's murderer's.

"I might have been mistaken after all" Tone tried to keep up her appearances, but a trickle of sweat down her temple and barely audible tremble in her voice gave away her actual thoughts. "She might have just sent her retainers to gauge our might. That is a sign of a sharp mind"

She fired a salvo, the Abyssal dodging it almost effortlessly. As the spray from the splashes settled, Haguro saw the pair of yellow eyes change their focus back to her. The fiery gaze tried to burn its way into her mind, as if trying to uncover her thoughts, see deeper and further than even her sisters should be allowed to.

"STOP THAT!" in a moment of frenzied panic, she fired her guns, barely thinking about aiming. Her mind acting on instincts, she reversed, each salvo pushing her another metre away from the nightmare in front of her. Tone's startled shout was distant and unreal; all that existed was the pair of sickeningly yellow lights, clearly visible through fire, smoke and sprayed water.

"GO AWAY! **GO AWAY!** **GO AWAY! G-** "

A pair of arms grabbed her, forcing her guns down. A firm, rapid shake brought her back to senses.

"Haguro-dono! Haguro-dono! Can you hear me?! Haguro-dono!?"

She blinked. The yellow eyes were gone, Tone's face filling her field of view. For the first time ever, she saw the sight of genuine concern and fright in the cruiser's eyes.

Her heart raced. Her breath was frenzied, spinning her head and making her sick. But the Abyssal was gone.

"W-where…" she stuttered, terror shattering words before they could have been spoken.

"It's gone, Haguro-dono! It fled just after my shots, it knew better than to fight two on one!"

She squirmed under Tone's grasp, peeking above the other cruiser's arm; the Abyssal was just a silhouette on the horizon, as distant and vague, as when it first appeared.

The chilly shiver she felt had nothing to do with the cold, winter wind wrapping itself around them.

* * *

"A princess...?"

"So it seems, Ashigara-dono" Tone nodded enthusiastically. Hands resting on her knees, fire sparkling in eyes. She was all too happy to share the tale of their last battle.

Sitting opposite her, between the other two Myokous, Haguro seemed ready to shut down at any moment, her head down and gaze stuck to the table's polished surface. The only thing preventing her from running away was Myokou's hand gently resting on her knee.

"I misjudged at first, but Haguro-dono was right with her guess. That Abyssal had considerable wit! My assumption would be it used this skirmish to gauge our combat prowess!"

"I see…" Ashigara stood up and started quickly pacing back and forth across their room.

"Will you warn the others, nee-chan?" Myokou's question was the first to disrupt the rhythm of steps.

The Wolf stopped in front of the window, staring outside, but past everything she could see there.

"Okada decided to keep this encounter a secret" she said slowly, each word stretched out as she turned back to the other three. "Two days ago I would be the last person to say this - but I agree with him. All those recent pileups put a strain on the fleet. One more straw may snap our backs."

"True, true!" Tone's acknowledgement was the only vocal one; Myokou and Haguro just nodded in silence.

The muffled sound of conversations coming from the common room at the ground floor reminded them of their incoming mission.

"That Abyssal was not seen around the Pearls at any moment. Let's hope it is part of a different force. And even if she appears… I believe we can prevail. Now let's get downstairs; we're departing soon, the girls need their orders."

Haguro's voice stopped her just as she was about to open the room's door:

"Nee-san… excuse me… but what happened?"

Ashigara turned to face her sister.

"What do you mean?"

"You agreeing with the admiral… agreeing to lead the strike… I'm sorry, but this totally doesn't sound like you… I mean, like you after..."

"Oh" the Wolf paused, suddenly unable to maintain eye contact with anyone in the room. Tone's presence was by no means heping. All she managed to do was shooting a passing glance at Myokou - too fast for her sister to register.

 _Exactly Haguro, great question._ _Why?_ She thought.

"I-I don't know" she said quickly. "I did some thinking. This could not have continued. We're all in this together. It's not about Okada. It's about us all, about the fleet. About nee-san's memory"

She opened the door, not letting Haguro press the topic - as unlikely as it was. But there was another reason. She knew her answer was not complete. Not because she wanted to hide anything - but because some of her thoughts being too hazy and unclear to be spoken out. Some things she felt in her heart were too complex to even try to wrap her mind around.

And she was not sure if she'd like the answers she'd get if she tried to.

* * *

 ***** interesno (rus., интересно) - interesting


	7. VII - Thunders in Darkness

**VII  
Thunders in Darkness**

Tropical sun quickly descended beneath the horizon, its orange ball swallowed by a layer of distant clouds blanketing the line between sky and the ocean. Twilight crept upon the cruiser squadron, light gradually replaced by darkness.

Kirov tapped her wrist, lighting up the the map holder's screen. She quickly scrolled through the briefing's text, reviewing the battle plan once again.

The operation itself was codenamed _Shinju_ \- a Japanese word for a pearl. Thinking of a more creative name was not exactly a mindblowing task. But that was an unimportant detail; what captivated the cruiser's attention was the scale.

Twenty five shipgirls, divided in five squadrons. Three strike forces, given free reign to harass the Abyssals on the seas around the archipelago. A cruiser force - curiously named "2nd Victory Division" for some reason - tasked with crippling and capturing the Abyssal battleship once it gets lured out by strike forces. And a pair of battleships with escorts, acting as reserve unit. All that taking place during nighttime.

Over two dozen shipgirls in a single fleet. Battleships as reserve. All that only to capture a single Abyssal specimen. This operation dwarfed everything Kirov ever had a chance to participate in. And at the same time sounded like pure insanity. She was pretty sure Molotov would easily find stronger words to fit that feeling.

She looked up, past Aoba, to the trio leading the formation. Wind splayed the commanding ship's hair, her every movement filled with precise, deadly determination. Ashigara. The same cruiser that, according to Aoba's words, refused to cooperate with their admiral after losing her sister in some battle, now led the crucial part of the operation.

She glanced to the west, where the setting sun's final light slowly died out. In Vladivostok only subs and destroyers operated at night, heavier ships considered too precious to risk in the darkness. It was when Abyssals, born and bred in lightless depths, had the upper hand.

Yet there they went, straight into the lion's den.

 _Raiushima is not a normal place_ , she thought for what must have been the thousandth time since her arrival.

* * *

Wind slat her scarf, its white tip barely visible in the faint starlight. Huge patches of sky were areas of complete darkness, clouds obscuring the starlit canopy. A new moon was also somewhere there - present, but invisible at the same time.

 _Present, but invisible at the same time_... she whispered the phrase, twirling the shuriken in her fingers. It sounded good. Proper.

With a strong swing, she threw the dart into the night's ink blackness. After a few metres it turned into a plane with a silent poof and ascended, its miniature engine's buzz quickly swallowed by thick darkness wrapping them up in a soft, comforting embrace.

"Form up. Time for some night battle!"

Her squadron moved on, the island's distant outline only visible as yet another gap in the starscape - the largest one, where the black skies met water's ink.

* * *

A few kilometres to the west, Yahagi's squadron received a signal from Sendai's floatplane.

Ryuujou's data indicated a narrow strait separating two largest islands was used by the Abyssals to transport supplies and materials between two main compounds. Taking into account the amount of ships spotted by Saiuns, and the size of both complexes, there was a fair chance the transports would be circling during nighttime as well. Which made the strait a good place to strike.

"Let's review the plan" she turned towards the destroyers, their position only marked by faint position lights. "If the strait is empty, we'll cruise through and start bombarding coastal installations on both sides. You are free to pick targets of opportunity, but avoid taking unnecessary risks. Once anyone spots the main target, we are to lure it towards Ashigara and her team. Sendai's plane will provide aerial reconnaissance. Any questions?"

Bathed in darkness she could not see their reactions - and their silent acknowledgement was just a whisper over their engines' murmur.

They spotted the Abyssal convoy as soon as they entered the strait. A string of bloated, inflated transports slowly made its way through the strip of water, their searchlights lazily sweeping the waves. The floatplane's data was correct - the Abyssals really trusted the short distance between the harbours to be sufficient to protect their ships from potential attack. Apart from a single destroyer, the convoy was completely defenceless.

"Fire at will!"

Her guns were lighter than the ones used by Myokous or Tone - but in the complete darkness, their flash was blinding like the sun. Before her eyes readjusted, Kamikaze and Matsukaze were already far to the front, attempting a stealthy approach to launch their torpedoes. Kasumi went to the side, bombarding random transports and drawing Abyssal attention away from two sisters.

A low rumble of agonizing pain thundered in the narrow strait as their first target ruptured like an overripe fruit, its inflated body hit by an unexpected salvo.

All around, distant thunders coming from darkness meant the tempest has engulfed the whole archipelago.

* * *

"Tsk, we're late" Kiso smirked, listening to the report from the floatplane. "Yahagi's kids got the first kill. But no helpin' that…"

She cracked her knuckles, grinning at the sight in front of her squadron. Illuminated by sweeping searchlights, the Abyssal harbour resembled a monstrous jaw of some prehistoric monster. Its white, bony breakwaters grew from the shore itself, reaching deep into the sea - seemingly too thin to withstand the waves' pressure, yet somehow enduring. Heavy artillery turrets rotated slowly, their massive carapaces supported by thick columns reinforcing the breakwater at regular intervals.

And inside, behind that protective barrier, lied their targets. Docks. Piers. Slumbering Abyssals. Cranes. Everything a healthy base needed to operate. It would be a shame if a crazy cruiser and a bunch of destroyers just wrecked everything, right?

"No time to waste, they must have sounded the alarm by now. Godspeed and good luck!"

She surged ahead, followed by the rest of her squadron. First searchlight trained on her - and soon others followed, bathing four ships in blinding, white light. Turrets spun with an unpleasant, organic crunch - but they were too slow to keep up.

Not wasting time to aim precisely, Kiso fired a salvo at the closest searchlight. A single shell glanced the reflector, triggering the fuse. Twisted and mangled by the explosion, the device got ripped off its base, disappearing beneath the waves.

An overdue riposte ripped the air behind them, just as they passed the breakwater and entered the basin. Massive shells hitting the water dozens of metres too far to cause any harm. In front, the commotion in the harbour was clearly seen.

"NOW!"

The formation fell apart, each ship blasting off in a random direction. Torpedoes splashed into water, gunshots echoed against volcanic slopes. One shell hit an immobilized Ru-class, blasting its operator into bits just as it was getting ready to unmoor from the quay.

In the ensuing chaos, four shipgirls sped back towards the exit. Explosions blossomed all over the place; another salvo from a defensive turret overshot Kiso by an absurd margain, striking what must have been an armory instead. Ivory walls crumbled and the whole building turned into a fireball, a thunderous staccato of explosions ripping it apart.

And then a chain of deep, muffled detonations shook the whole harbour, fireballs and geysers erupting all along the bay's radius. Their torpedoes hit their mark. What was a silent base a while ago got completely consumed by a raging inferno.

Just before reaching the exit, Kiso spun around to make sure the destroyers made it out safe. Samidare zoomed by, her long hair in complete mess. Asashio came next, still firing precise (as much as it was possible) shots against whatever was in her range. Kikuzuki departed last, chased by a lone I-class destroyer. A single blast from Kiso's guns ripped the Abyssal's head in half, black ichor glistening in fire's glare.

"Not thanking" the destroyer muttered, grateful as always.

"You're welcome, kiddo" Kiso chuckled, exiting the doomed harbour.

Behind them the pyre grew, flames consuming everything they could reach.

* * *

Sendai's squadron sped along the coast. Distant explosions and sounds of gunfire meant that other two strike groups have already found their targets. They were the last to engage.

 _But not the least_ , Sendai smiled to herself, as her unit emerged from behind a rocky peninsula. In front of them, inside a small natural harbour, lied an Abyssal supply depot. Stacks of barrels and crates - as much as those wicked constructs of membrane and bone could be called so - lied unguarded on ashen sand.

Or at least they should, according to Ryuujou's data. Bathed in complete darkness, the depot's supposed location was just a patch of blackness, featureless and uniform.

That changed when Sendai's searchlight cut through the night, revealing that supplies were indeed still there. Thin organic material shivered and pulsated under the touch of light, as if predicting its immediate demise.

"FIRE!"

She slowly swept the beam across the whole depot, allowing the destroyers to pick their targets. Guns blasted behind her, soon joined by her own battery. High explosive shells ripped thin covers apart, igniting the liquid inside. Flames burst into the night sky, the firestorm quickly expanding to consume neighbouring containers. Within less than a minute, hundreds tons of fuel, lubricant, golem nutrition and God-knows-what-else burnt colourfully, spewing billows of thick smoke.

Sendai lit up her display, setting up next waypoint for their squad to follow. That other depot was reported to have at least minimal defenses; should be fun-

"We have contact" Kiso's voice crackled from the radio. "Three destroyers escaped the harbour. Engaging"

'Affirmative. Second squadron, what is your status?" asked Sendai.

"Moving on towards- wait, no. Contact. Big one. Might be a Ru or Mi-class, judging by speed. Moving in to identify"

"Affirmative. Over"

They were not even halfway to their next target when Yahagi's voice broke the silence again.

"We have visual confirmation. Mi-class. Signaling the cruisers"

"Kita kore!" came a joyful shout from Sazanami's direction.

* * *

"This is it!" Ashigara screamed excitedly upon hearing the report. "Let's do this! Onwards, to victory!"

Other cruisers followed their leader, guided by a stream of coordinates beamed down from Sendai's floatplane. Cruising above the battlefield, using gunfire flashes to register ships' movements, it acted as their all-seeing eye in the sky.

"You ready?" Kirov asked the pink-haired cruiser.

"As never before. I wish Gassa was here to see it."

"Just tell her the story when we get back."

"Yeah."

The islands closed in.

* * *

From afar, the skirmish seemed like a random light show. Only once they got closer, a pattern emerged - Yahagi's searchlight working in short bursts, sweeping the battlefield and marking targets for destroyers to focus upon. Kasumi's guns flashed all around the enemy force, her hit-and-runs confusing the escorts and keeping attention away from the other two destroyers. Cruiser guns opening fire in coordinated, precise salvos, hitting their mark with dreadful accuracy.

"Load special type shells after the opening salvo. Aim for turrets and weak spots. Get as close as possible before exposing yourselves" Ashigara's commands barked in the radio as Kirov examined the situation.

The battleship sortied with relatively weak escorts - a destroyer screen and a couple of light cruisers. The majority of _lzhekosatki_ have been already crippled by Yahagi's wolfpack. Cruisers trashed and scurried around, unable to catch up with the destroyers. The battleship tried to focus on Yahagi, her skillful searchlight dance always a second too quick for enemy guns to take aim.

The Myokous opened fire first. Then came their trio, Kirov's cannons distorting the symphony of 20 centimeter barrels common among the Japanese cruisers. The Abyssal surprise was complete; those few escort ships that survived the initial salvo scattered in chaos, unable to adjust to the new threat.

"Good job, second squadron! We'll take over from here!"

"Alright!" crackled Yahagi's response, as her destroyers resumed the formation and four ships disappeared into the darkness to continue their mission.

Myokou rose her hand, a loud bang ripped the air - and after a few seconds, a flood of yellow light filled the battlefield; a new star, sparkling and sizzling, hung on the night sky, supported by a small parachute.

Under its sharp, unnatural illumination, the Abyssal battleship looked even more grotesque than in daylight. Shadows danced on its carapace, their shapes altering with every movement. It lumbered around awkwardly, trying to pick the most suitable target. Shining visors pulsated and shifted, their artificial gaze following the shipgirls' movements. Turrets lost coordination, each trying to take aim separately.

Aoba broke off from Kirov's side, charging directly at the enemy. She fired and yanked to the side in last possible moment - a split second before Abyssal guns blazed, their shells impacting water with and overwhelming force. They exploded deep beneath the surface, flash dimmed and detonation muffled by metres of dark ink.

The cruiser's special shells - modified by Akashi in order to increase muzzle velocity at the expense of weight - struck the battleship's armour just next to the turret. A spiderweb of cracks appeared, as the monstrosity roared - be it surprise or pain - and recoiled back. It made a futile attempt to rise its hands to the wound - but the overgrown carapace restricted its reach, leaving the arms helplessly flailing up and down.

A smirk creeped on Kirov's face for a short second.

 _What now, Furutaka? Is size alone still sufficient?_

But she had no time to be distracted; the injured behemoth reacted with surprising vigour, moving with rage and fury. Its guns yanked and turned much faster now, pieces of shell grinding against one another with a sickening crunch. Secondary guns slid out of their sockets, spitting streams of lead and fire against circling cruisers. The shipgirls responded in kind, their salvos chipping off bits and pieces of carapace with every hit.

"Just stop resisting!" yelled Haguro, her close pass allowing her to fire a shot towards one of the monster's visors. The shell cracked completely and the light died out, leaving only an empty, dark socket behind. The monster's painful roar drowned out the sounds of battle for a few seconds.

"Tone, Kirov, Aoba, aim for the legs! We will disarm main guns!"

Not wasting time to acknowledge Ashigara's order, Kirov shot out towards the battleship. The enemy was not as surprised as when facing Aoba; it moved its whole body to help the guns turn in time. Three barrels spit with fire, shells passing dangerously close to the speeding cruiser. They detonated upon impacting the waves, shockwave and heat hitting Kirov from behind, almost throwing her off balance. She regained control in the last moment, almost colliding with the battleship. Secondary shells rattled against her rigging, impact forces transferred by metal parts to her body, painful like a gut punch.

But she was finally close enough.

Her batteries barked, all three turrets concentrated on the Abyssal's massive column of a leg. At least three shells scored a direct hit, although there was no explosion; they overpenetrated, landing in water behind the monster. Kirov did not stop to look - she raced away from the enemy, shells from secondary guns pockmarking water around her.

The dimming light above them rekindled when one of the Myokous shot out a second flare. Yellow. _Situation not resolved yet_ , according to the code established before the battle.

The monster behind her roared, chunks of flesh torn out by shells' sheer kinetic energy. In its blind rage, it tried to turn to face Kirov - but once weight shifted away from its fine leg, it crumbled, a wave spreading from the impact zone. One of its turrets exploded, thin roof pierced by Tone's precise salvo. Bits of shattered bone rimmed the charred crater that remained, pulsating Abyssal tissue visible beneath. The infernal roar of fury gave way to something between rumbling thunders and whimpers of pain.

"Got it!" Tone circled the battleship, placing another shot below the armoured carapace. Another inhuman shriek escaped the collapsed foe, one of shells breaking through the bony shell's rim.

"I'm signaling the barge!" Myokou rose the flaregun again. This time a green signal lit up the battlefield.

Cruisers closed in on the foe, circling like wolves around a crippled prey.

* * *

"Sendai-san! New contact!"

"Oh!" the cruiser tore its eyes away from the pyre that used to be another Abyssal depot. Actually, it seemed to contain a small repair dock as well - with enclosed pools of repair liquid now spilling their contents into the ocean and arm-like cranes collapsing as flames licked their bases. "Did our friend above manage to get identification?"

"No…" Kagerou pressed the headphone closer to her ear. "It's another battleship. Probably Ta-class. Too fast for Ru or Mi"

"Heading?"

"It came from behind the island…"

Sendai stopped in her tracks, realizing the meaning behind the message.

"How many...?" she asked weakly.

"Three… Four. The plane just spotted another. Hard to tell, they approached in complete darkness. They're heading our way"

"Retreat!" Sendai turned towards the fleet's rendezvous point, signaling the destroyers to follow her. "It's an ambush! The Abyssals waited for us to spread out!"

She barely started speeding up when the first explosion ripped the water in front of her.

The Abyssals force emerged from behind the island, their searchlights slashing the darkness with wide, sweeping moves. Soon they locked on the shipgirls, each of them illuminated, visible and exposed.

"TAKE EVASI-"

A deafening roar muted her voice, dozens of guns bursting with fury. The ocean around them turned into a churning inferno of foam, smoke and fire. Suzukaze tried to turn and retaliate in kind - but the sheer firepower they faced forced her back. Searchlights blinded them, the direction the Abyssals came from too bright to make out the number and composition of the attacking force.

Her plane's frantic transmission confirmed Sendai's suspicions; the shots came from another direction than the searchlights.

And they were getting closer.

"FUSOU-SAN! HELP! WE'RE SURROUNDED, WE-"

A dark shape - larger than any cruiser, taller than the Ta-class, yet much more humane in shape than Mi-class - eclipsed the searchlight pointed as Sendai. Its guns blazed, abruptly ending Sazanami's transmission and sending her flying. The shockwave knocked the cruiser out of balance. Panicked, she shot a torpedo salvo behind - and turned towards Sazanami location, grabbing the unconscious destroyer without stopping. Blood was dripping from the bloodied stump that used to be her arm - but apart from that, she was alive. The shock must have contracted the veins, shutting the wound down, at least for the time being.

"FUSOU-SAN, CAN YOU READ ME?! HELP! HELP US!" she screamed into the radio, desperately trying to find the other two destroyers in the raging inferno around them.

Finally, her prayers were heard.

"I hear you, Sendai-san. Moving in"

* * *

Locating Sendai squadron's position was not difficult - even without the spotter seaplane, the gunfire was clearly visible from the rendezvous point. What worried Fusou is whether they can make it in time.

"We are facing a full battleship squadron, onee-sama" Yamashiro's worried face only added to Fusou's anxiety. "Can they manage?"

"I put my trust in Sendai-san and her destroyers" Fusou adjusted her aim for the slight change of wind direction. "What worries me is that we didn't account for such a force to be present. This is a most misfortunate miscalculation on our side"

"The plan was solid" Furutaka scowled. "Three torpedo squadrons are not a threat you send a full battlefleet against!"

"There is no misfortune that cannot be defeated!" Yamashiro's voice shook nervously. "Not with our burning hearts and my dedication to onee-sama!"

"Let's hope that is enough…" Fusou clenched her fists, waiting for the enemy to get in range.

* * *

Yahagi's squadron rejoined them once the Mi-class became little more than a helpless hulk, floating on the dark waves. An automated barge, guided by Myokou's green flare, arrived a few minutes later, just as Sendai's squadron reported their new contact. The bloodcurdling sounds of battle that followed didn't make anyone any less tense.

But at least they completed their mission. Just a while longer, and they could pull back, into Raiushima's safety.

Or at least so they hoped.

"New contact!" Ashigara pointed towards the island. "A cruiser squadron! Haguro, Myokou, we will interdict them before they reach this position, the rest keep your eyes peeled! Protect the barge!"

"Affirmative" other ships nodded, as Kasumi and the Kamikazes slowly pushed the immobilized, barely breathing hulk onto the droneship.

* * *

Their first salvo did its job; the battleships broke their chase, letting Sendai's squad escape into the darkness. The Abyssal force turned towards the newcomers, leaving behind their two comrades knocked out by Fusou and Yamashiro's shots.

Furutaka and Kako broke to the sides, activating their searchlights. Carefully avoiding being spotted, Shigure moved in a wide arc to get into position to launch torpedoes. This left the battleships alone against the enemy squadron. Alone, but by no means unready.

"Let's do this, nee-sama!" Yamashiro barred her teeth, just as their guns corrected aim for a second shot.

Compared to cruiser combat, battleships had some kind of dreadful majesty about them. Twin sisters stayed close together, their salvos synchronized to ensure a constant stream of fire. Not every shot hit their mark; but ones that did erupted bright like midnight suns, illuminating the darkness for a brief second before dying out. Return fire was sporadic and inaccurate - the element of surprise was still there, even though it slowly waned.

Searchlights slashed the air, illuminating targets long enough to aim the salvo - but dying out quick enough for the cruisers to reposition. Their sporadic fire slammed into the Abyssals' exposed sides, adding up to the confusion. The enemy tried prying them out of the darkness - but with little success.

The enemy force consisted of Ta-class battlecruisers; relatively fast and nimble, but lacing Ru-class' sturdy armour. Most of their shells ricocheted off Fusou and Yamashiro's thick plating, and those that exploded on impact did little damage apart from spalling.

The recon plane reported Sendai's squadron managed to get far enough to be safe; Fusou sighed with relief at the news. But the churning feeling in her heart remained.

Radio chatter just before the ambus signaled a new type of Abyssal being present. Yet what they fought here was just a flock of regular Ta-class. Well coordinated and dangerous, true, but with no unknown ship in sight.

With the corner of her eye, in utter darkness between two charred wrecks, she noticed a movement. Something shifted, disturbing the uniformly velvet nocturnal veil. As soon as Fusou turned to look there, a blinding light erupted, a searchlight pointed directly at her. She yelped in surprise, trying to cover her eyes.

Then came a salvo. Followed by Yamashiro's piercing, ear-splitting shriek, audible even through the deafening explosion. The shockwave hit Fusou, its heat like a burning oven. Her sister was still standing, arm still raised in an attempt to shield herself with rigging. But the metal construction was gone, replaced by a mess of ripped and mangled steel, torn by an explosion it was never designed to withstand. Yamashiro herself bled badly, countless gashes and cuts seeping red into the ocean.

Furutaka's searchlight shot through the dark, fishing out the new Abyssal. It was tall and slender, a beautiful body seemingly made only of skin-covered muscles. Snow white hair cascaded in a raw, uncontained stream, reaching well past waist. Its rigging was massive - smoothly integrated into pitch-black body armour - but managed to retain slim elegance in spite of visible bulk. Four imposing, three-barreled turrets moved smoothly in their barbettes.

"WELL, WELL..." it spoke in a deep, reverberating voice, the rumble felt deep within Fusou's chest. Its barely hidden scorn only added to the dread. "I WAS EXPECTING SOMEONE MORE CHALLENGING..."

* * *

With the star shell illuminating the battlefield, sneaky approach was out of the question; the Myokous clashed with Abyssal cruisers head-on, both forces combining like two schools of predatory fish. There was no majesty in this skirmish, no finesse night combat required; just a brutal exchange of fire, even more ruthless than in daylight..

They were outnumbered, their only strength in tactics.

Ashigara alternated between sides, trying to engage as many targets as possible. Shells exploded on Abyssal armour plates, water churned and erupted all around her - for every bite she dealt, enemy ships attempted three of their own. To her side, Myokou and Haguro performed their deadly dance, each move spelling doom on whoever dared to challenge the sisters.

But stemming that tide was an impossibility; waves upon waves of Abyssal cruisers spilled out of the Pearls' harbours, all focused on breaking their way to their fallen companion. The shipgirls were pushed back, the relentless onslaught getting closer and to its objective.

"Kiso here!" a voice crackled, barely heard above the endless cacophony of battle. "We're approaching the barge, attacking enemy flank!"

"Affirmative!"

A single Ne-class got close enough to spray Ashigara with blood upon its demise. The flare's green glare dimmed out, only to be replaced by a sickening yellow - different to the one used by Myokou a few while earlier. She looked up, to the sky - a new starshell hung under the dark canopy, its trail leading to the Abyssal force.

Myokou and Haguro were there, making their way to what seemed to be the Abyssal flagship - an armoured figure, located exactly underneath the starshell. Ashigara rushed to aid them - but a trio of Ri-class intercepted her route, blocking the way.

"GET OUT!" she roared, before the battle turned back into a chaotic blur of rage and fire.

* * *

Kirov, Tone and Aoba trailed the retreating barge, its already unimpressive speed further reduced by the cumbersome cargo onboard. The Myokous' counterstrike delayed the Abyssal advance - but every now and then, a cruiser got within firing range, the trio acting as the last line of defense. Destroyers took the droneship on tow, their engines adding only a handful of precious knots to the escaping squadron.

"They're not going to make it" Kirov snickered, her long range salvo missing the enemy by an inch.

"They can't go any faster…" Aoba looked over her shoulder with concern, only to witness Matsukaze's tow rip under pressure.

"I mean Ashigara and her sisters. They are reckless, charging into the swarm like that"

She looked at the distant explosions, weighing a decision that was slowly brewing in her mind. Even with Kiso flanking the Abyssal force…

She switched her microphone on.

"Tone, I am moving forward"

"What? Newcomer, stay in formation!"

But she was already speeding forward - into the maelstrom ahead, the twirling mass of bodies, fire and steel. Tone's command came from afar; Aoba's shouts from behind seemed even more distant. Her mind was focused on the battle ahead, on the firestorm that was about to lick her rigging.

Concentration. Precision. Victory.

The shipgirls of Raiushima were fearsome and fierce. But there were moments where teamwork was not enough. When the madness of war had to be weighed out by reckless, insane boldness.

Just like now.

* * *

Sazanami's lifeless body weighed her down - but Sendai persisted, getting further and further away from those cursed islands. The rest of her squadron followed, sporadic shells falling here and there inside their loose formation. Finally, exhausted beyond her capability, the cruiser collapsed to her knees. Adrenaline rush ended, leaving her feeble and trembling. Not even the darkness' embrace could have calmed her wrecked nerves.

The wounded destroyer's breathing was shallow - but proved she was alive. Other destroyers were bloodied, barely staying afloat. Some listed, their rigging riddled with holes and gashes on their bodies dripping blood into the water.

But they were alive. They all were alive.

* * *

"NEE-SAMA!"

A concentrated salvo blew Fusou's rigging into pieces, ammunition storage igniting and amplifying the blast. Towering above her, the Abyssal battleship smirked triumphantly, her guns returning to idle position.

"PITIFUL."

The whole skirmish took less than a few minutes; after seeing Yamashiro knocked out, Fusou fought like a lioness, exchanging salvos with the enemy flagship - but all her efforts were in vain. Shells bounced and shattered against its thick, angled plates, while the Abyssal's retaliation sliced through Fusou's defences without any effort. Around them, Ta-class battlecruisers kept Furutaka and Kako away, impotent to provide any aid.

Yamashiro tried to stand up, her body protesting and screaming with blinding, excruciating pain. One of her turrets fell out of its devastated barbette and sank with a loud splash; the sound attracted the Abyssal's notice.

At the titaness feet, Fusou started sinking.

"YOU FIGHT LIKE VERMIN, AND YOU DIE LIKE VERMIN" the battleship let out a cruel, exhilarated giggle, as its guns locked on Yamashiro's broken frame. Twelve barrels looked upon the broken shipgirl with cold indifference.

"Nee...sama…" giving in to the pain ripping her body apart, Yamashiro collapsed again, her outstretched hand reaching towards Fusou across what might as well have been an infinity.

But the final shot never came.

Instead, the Abyssal battleship stopped in its tracks, as if listening to some inaudible voice. After a short while, without any reaction other than silence, it turned away - and steamed away, heading towards a patch of ocean illuminated by a yellow starshell.

* * *

The battle turned into a frenzied blur, illuminated by the starshell hanging from dark skies. One by one, the Abyssals met their demise - their flock countless and swarming all around Ashigara. Somewhere there were her sisters. Somewhere there was the barge with their objective.

Somewhere.

She altered sides, guns blazing so fast their barrels started glowing red. For every enemy vanquished, two more took its place. It slowly dawned on her that the tables have turned - it was them who took the bait, fell directly into Abyssal trap.

But the Hungry Wolf would never let the hunter turn into prey.

"DIE!" she roared, a salvo hitting a lone Chi-class trying to sneak past her. She thought she heard Myokou's scream from afar - a miniscule sound spike trying to break through the deafening cacophony all around.

A shell hit the left portion of her rigging, the projectile piercing the turret's barbette. The whole module started vibrating, tongues of flame crawling up from the hole. She slammed the emergency release button; the rigging exploded midway into the water, resulting shockwave burning her face and scorching her uniform's purple fabric.

The Abyssals still swarmed around, mostly ignoring her - hellbent on getting to their target. Pain radiated from countless burns, cuts and bruises, her body screamed in protest - but giving in was not an option.

"FUCKING DIE!" she shrieked, rising her remaining guns for yet another salvo.

* * *

Her _sashka_ cut through the Abyssal flesh with ease, the blade honed and sharpened by countless hours of care. She used the momentum to spin mid-move, releasing a salvo towards a passing enemy. Zvezda and Nastia's adjustments helped a lot with dispersion - the guns blazed in synch, all six shells ripping the Abyssal's exposed side open.

Turn. Fire. Slash. Advance. Strike. Not a single wasteful movement, no unnecessary step taken.

Her mind was clean, focused on combat. Her attention concentrated on target at hand - but her mind expanded, seeing the whole battlezone and not wasting time on pointless details at the same moment.

She fought in silence, even her breath synchronized with the methodical slaughter she performed. The enemy paid little attention to her actions - but the wave had to split, wash over the lone rock it was unable to subdue.

A nearby explosion attracted her attention. It was not gunfire, nor torpedo detonation. She turned towards the source, seeing a lone cruiser, another rock fighting the relentless torrent the Abyssals formed.

She turned towards her, pulverizing the pitiful Likho ***** -class standing between them.

"Ashigara!"

* * *

"Haguro!"

The unidentified Abyssal cruiser moved with surprisingly agility, dodging their strikes and responding with dreadful accuracy. Its last salvo scaled Haguro's rigging, a heavy shell ricocheting back into the night. The swarm of cruisers around them didn't make the duel any easier.

She just hoped Yahagi, Tone and the rest could hold the line.

"I'm fine!" Haguro shouted, her voice on the verge of hysteria "Nee-san, we must pull back!"

"Ashigara is still out there!" the Abyssal princess dodged her shot effortlessly, its eyes' yellow glare turning into a smeared blur for a second. A while later it was back on the offensive, Myokou barely able to withstand the furious assault.

But every time the Abyssal seemed poised for the killing blow, it just took a step back, letting her get away. Just as if it was toying with them, mocking their efforts and depreciating all skill they put in combat.

"You…" anger brewed in Myokou, battle rage fueled every time Haguro let out a shriek of terror. "...come closer, and I will end you!"

Her radio crackled, a weak voice breaking through static and gunfire.

"...gi. Massive force… from w… sistance!"

"Nee-san!"

Rage died out like a candle, blown away by Haguro's horrified shout. There were more important things than their pride at stake.

"I heard that! Let's go find Ashigara and get out of here!"

They turned round and sped away towards the open sea, eyes peeled in search of their sister.

Behind them, the Abyssal princess retracted her guns, before speeding up - but did not attempt chasing the Myokous. Instead, it headed straight for the barge.

* * *

Her radio was broken; firepower halved; launchers jammed in reloading position, their mechanism destroyed by splinters. Around her, the Abyssals swarmed, more and more of them paying attention to the damaged cruiser. They did not attack directly yet; they smelt the cornered wolf's bloodlust, were wary to challenge the apex predator.

"Ashigara!" she heard a scream; human voice sounded alien after such a long cacophony of battle. She turned towards the source; it was the gaijin cruiser.

"What is your status, comrade? I'll escort you out of here! We need to retreat, the Abyssals are overwhelming us!"

 _Retreat?_

The mere thought just sounded stupid. Not that she was delusional enough to underestimate the threat, to believe in victory against all odds - but if the barge is still in danger, if Tone and the rest can get overran, she had to stand and fight.

"Go back" she replied, not looking at the Russian shipgirl. "I will stay behind and stop them. As long as I can"

Ignoring the pain, she rose her guns up, taking aim. The Abyssals in front of her hunched down, ready to dodge and launch a counterstrike. Pitiful animals, driven by instincts. So easy to dominate. So easy to overwhelm. Strong only in numbers.

 _Shame that it's exactly what they have now_.

She would take as many of them with her. Myokou, Haguro, Tone… everyone would escape. No one will die a pointless death tonight. And even if she fell, she would die knowing they reached safety. She will erase the blemish left by Nachi's death.

In a blink of an eye, she saw that scene again; her sister's broken body. Dark waters pulling her from her grasp…

Will they meet again, in the depths of Abyss?

"Stay?!"

She barely noticed Kirov move in front of her. She didn't realize what was happening until the slap came; a fast, swift hit that threw her off balance, made the world spin. Reflexively, she grabbed her face, a burning sensation spreading across her cheek.

" _Durak_! _Trus_! _Idiot_! ****** You think your death will do any good?! Serve any purpose?!"

She blinked, the world around her returning to… normal. As if some sort of haze rose from before her eyes. Just as if she only now became aware of the fact there was anything around, safe for her and the Abyssals.

" _Ty prava *******_ \- I have no idea who your sister was! But do you think her death gives you any privilege to cast your life away like it is nothing?! This is no bravery - this is cowardice! This is disgracing her name! You think you'd be able to look her in the eye in that afterlife of yours you so desperately believe in?!"

She grabbed the blonde girl's wrist midway, barely preventing another slap. She looked into the blue eyes in front of her, for the first time shifting attention from the increasingly restless Abyssals just outside her torpedo range.

She expected to see fury and rage; but there was none. This girl was dead serious, the anger in her voice stemming from cold logic rather than emotional burst. It was so eerily similar to Myokou… but different at the same time. She almost shrank before that gaze.

Almost.

"You have the nerve" she hissed, the burning pain clenching her teeth.

"You may either die here, or go with me an rejoin the fleet" the Russian wrested her hand from Ashigara's grasp and turned towards the Abyssals, guns primed and ready. "But you're doing this with me. If you want to die here, so will I"

Something snapped inside the Hungry Wolf's mind. The veil clouding her sight, the grim determination to meet her that night, lifted off completely. She rose her guns again, a raspy laughter escaping her dry throat:

"I will remember this, gaijin"

"Glad I left the impression" the Russian cruiser bolted away, heading towards the Abyssal line just as the boldest of them decided it was time to rush for their prey.

* * *

"Time to die, fool!"

Kiso's torpedoes hit their mark, making an Abyssal battleship stumble and collapse. Its companions returned fire - but massive cannons were too lumbering and inaccurate to hit a swift, mobile target. All around her, the destroyers doubled and tripled their efforts to stall the Abyssal strike force. But the longer it lasted, the more that two front battle took a turn to the worse.

Myokous' strike seemed to serve its purpose - cruisers that made to the barge's vicinity were disrupted and disorganized, easily thwarted by their combined forces. All changed with the second squadron's arrival.

Desperate torpedo salvos slowed the battleships down, bogged them down with evasive maneuvers. But the sheer mass of the attacking force was pushing them back, closer to the barge.

"My launcher jammed!" Samidare's desperate report crackled in her radio. "Oh no, what do I do?!"

"Fall back to the barge and switch with someone tugging the cargo" Kiso commanded in a brief moment of respite between firing on the Abyssals and dodging impending doom. "We must keep this just a while longer, until-"

A movement on the verge of the field of light illuminating the battlefield caught her attention. An Abyssal battleship of unknown design entered the zone. It was taller than the Ta-class that made up the bulk of the attacking force and as slender as them, but its rigging was… just imposing. Dreadfully so.

"What the hell is that…?!" she uttered, as the battleship sped up towards the barge, faster than anything of that size should be able to.

* * *

Keeping balance with just half of her rigging was difficult - but not to the point where it'd make her unable to fight. She just pressed on, through the dense flock of Abyssal cruisers, towards where the rest of their fleet should be.

The red stain from Kirov's slap burnt her cheek, sobering her mind.

 _You would disgrace her name_.

Would she be able to look Nachi in the face, if they met on the other side? Would she be able to look into Myokou and Haguro's faces, if her sacrifice turned out to be in vain and _they_ met her on the other side?

That gaijin cruiser was actually pretty thoughtful for a heartless bitch she was.

If front of her, Kirov operated with merciless precision, every strike fluidly transforming into another in an almost artistic sequence. Slashes were used to build up momentum for next maneuver, aiming took as little time as neccessary. Her eyes seemed unfocused, not looking anywhere in particular - but at the same time embracing the whole battlefield, like two all-seeing cameras.

She did not let herself be left behind - her remaining guns blazed and roared, shells ripping Abyssal bodies and breaking their spines. Return fire was furious - but she just discarded the pain, focused on the one and only objective;

Getting out of this hellfire.

She noticed her sister's silhouette in the distance, and adjusted her course to meet up midway. Kirov followed the change without any question - she was either too immersed in combat, or just also spotted the friendly shipgirl. The flock of Abyssals started thinning out; less and less ships came to reinforce loses they caused.

Haguro fought with a single hand, her other arm supporting an unconscious Myokou. Ashigara quickly joined them, taking half of the burden upon her arms.

"Nee-san!" Haguro cried out, surprised. "Are you alright?"

"Better than some" Ashigara grimaced, trying to smile in spite of every single injury constantly stabbing her mind with a burning blade. "Let's get out of here!"

* * *

The star shell slowly dimmed out, for the first time in what seemed like ages not replaced by a new one. Shadows expanded and grew, merging back into an impenetrable shroud. The Abyssals dispersed completely, only distant shrieks and sporadic gunfire reminding them the battle was still going on.

Battle frenzy slowly evaporated from Kirov's mind. The signal from Sendai's plane was gone; the spotter either returned to her mothership, or got shot down. Only the stars and lights on the horizon gave them a sense of direction - and their largest cluster was almost certainly the barge with the captured Abyssal battleship. Guns kept flashing in the vicinity, the remnants of the battle still raging on.

Her body ached, prolonged strife putting strain on her every muscle. As adrenaline got flushed out of the system, injuries she was not aware of finally got the brain's attention, lashing her mind like red-hot whips. But compared to worn-out Myokous, she still was in a relatively decent shape.

They sped up as much as the sisters' state allowed. The echo of the guns got closer, and among the flashes and rapid searchlight slashes, Kirov could finally make out individual silhouettes. Kiso and her destroyers fought like madmen, thwarting Abyssal behemoths. Aoba and Tone fought in second line, their guns taking out or crippling enemy already weakened by lighter ships.

The Abyssal force consisted of Vila ******** -class battleships; their agility gave them an edge in night conditions, where heavier ships could have been easily approached and outplayed. Kirov was about to signal a warning to Ashigara and Haguro, when she suddenly noticed a change in situation.

There seemed to be some anxiety in Kiso squadron's actions; they moved in pairs, covering their backs, as if they feared some unexpected foe striking from behind. That was nothing strange during night combat. But as Kirov and her group got closer, she noticed how much their caution bordered on paranoia. Just as if whatever hid in the inky darkness was more dangerous than what they openly fought against.

Suddenly, a searchlight erupted from the night, illuminating the barge. Aoba and Tone aimed their own lights on the new contact - and in their blinding white, Kirov saw a new Abyssal. Light reflected off its pitch-black rigging, sporadic dents from impacts being the only signs of battle wear on the otherwise pristine equipment. A protective headpiece covered its head, its wide rim rolled slightly up. Four massive turrets - much bigger than anything Kirov saw on any other battleship so far - aimed at the cruisers guarding the barge.

It all took just a few seconds.

A guttural, distorted cackle shook the night air. Guns flashed, the shockwave strong enough to kick up waves around the Abyssal battleship. Aoba and Tone rushed to the sides, barely making it in time before the barge erupted in a fireball, the pyre throwing debris high into the starlit sky. Vilas and their flagship disengaged quickly, disappearing into the darkness like phantoms.

The final thunder of the nocturnal storm echoed in Kirov's ears, as they all stood speechless, watching the pitiful remnants of their target fall all over the area, sinking into the dark maw of the Abyss.

"W-we… lost…?" Ashigara's voice shook with barely contained panic.

* * *

 ***** _likho_ (rus., лихо) - a small, mischevious creature from Slavic mythology  
 ****** _Durak! Trus! Idiot!_ (rus., Дурак! Трус! Идиот!) - Fool! Coward! Idiot!  
 ******* _Ty prava_ (rus., Ты права) - You are right  
 ******** _Vila_ (rus, Вила) - a nymph-like creature from Slavic mythology


	8. VIII - Dread and Oaths

**VIII  
** **Dread and Oaths**

"Fusou. Multiple internal injuries. Several vital organs were on the brink of failure when Furutaka and Kako hauled her into the dockyard. She is stable now, but just barely above critical."

Akashi flipped a page in her notepad as they walked over to the adjacent ward. The background symphony of medical equipment - buzzes, beeps, whirrs and infinite other sounds - filled their ears; the distinct scent of antiseptic drilled its way into their nostrils.

"Yamashiro. Luckily the impact got dampened by her rigging, otherwise damage would have been fatal. She is conscious for most of the time, but often dozes off like that. Regeneration is exhausting."

"I see..." Okada nodded, a non-seeing gaze sweeping across the room. His moves were clumsy and jerky, as if his mind was completely elsewhere, the body functioning on some subconscious autopilot.

Which was most likely the case.

"Next…" Akashi took a deep breath before leading the admiral to the next ward. She pulled the curtain aside - and visibly winced at the sight in front of them.

A frail, pink-haired figure was laying on the bed, a breathing mask covering most of her face. Numerous tubes came in and out of her right arm, machines circulating blood and healing agents. The limb ended just above where elbow should be, the stump tightly bandaged and soaked in some greenish, oily substance. The scent of chemicals permeated the air there, overwhelming even the pungent odour of antiseptics.

"...Sazanami-chan. Took direct hit from a Ta-class battleship, the shell literally tore her arm off. Yuubari is working on modifying the summoning pool to allow at least partial reconstruction of living shipgirls… but I'm afraid Sazanami is out of commission for the time being."

"I see…" Okada forced himself back to reality, eyes only skimming upon the crippled destroyer. "Is... it possible to…"

"Regrow limbs?" Akashi bit her lip. " _Theoretically_ , there is no know reason for it to be impossible. Our bodies are not exactly human in nature to begin with. You don't make a human being by dropping steel bars into some sparkling, green goo, right? The question is - how much of that theory is correct..."

"And there is only one way to find out…"

"Exactly, commander"

Okada watched the life support system work for a longer while.

"How many of them can be brought back into service soon?"

Akashi flipped through a couple more pages of her notes.

"Roughly half of the base's active force participated in the battle. Out of that three shipgirls are completely out of commission for the foreseeable future. All three Myokous took medium to heavy damage and cannot participate in combat within the next two weeks at least. Sendai and roughly half the destroyers are either injured, or had their equipment severely damaged, which also prevents them from sailing into battle."

"So we lost at least around one third of our total firepower?"

"I'm afraid this is a correct estimate"

"I see…"

* * *

Some fifteen minutes later the curtain separating Kinugasa's ward from the outside world moved aside, cutting short the conversation the injured girl had with her sister. All three heads present in the room turned towards the entrance.

"Kinugasa-san is recovering well. In a few days she should be able to return to active service."

"Oh!" Aoba rose from the stool she occupied, saluting. "I am sorry we took so long! We'll be leaving soon!"

"No need to" Akashi replied dryly, noting something down in her notepad. "Admiral and I are just making a quick inspection. Take your time, I am sure it will greatly benefit Kinugasa-san's health." she nodded at the girls, gently tugging the absent-minded admiral away. "Now, commander…"

"Kirov-san?" Okada's unexpected question was surprisingly focused, taking into account his vacant stare and blank expression. The Russian cruiser would have bet he didn't even notice her presence.

" _Da, kommandir?_ " *****

"How… are you?" Okada paused mid-sentence, in an obviously failed attempt to find a less awkward way to start a conversation.

"The damage taken during the battle was superficial" she recited. "I am battle ready."

"This is not what I…" he hesitated for a second. "I mean, if there is no reason for you to take unnecessary risks. You are admiral Orlov's liaison here, not a regular member of the Raiushima fleet."

"I am not sure if I understand, comrade admiral" Kirov's expression changed to one of polite confusion. Okada took a deep breath.

"If for any reason you would prefer not to take part in the upcoming battle-"

"Out of the question, comrade admiral."

Her short retort made the admiral freeze mid-sentence, mouth slightly agape in surprise.

"I have my duty. As long as I breathe, as long as I am here, I will fight against the Abyssals. If I start looking for excuses to stay behind - I will discard the very reason of my existence. And this is out of the question" she repeated.

All shipgirls present cycled their gaze between the two, surprised.

"Y-yes. Yes, it is." Okada looked away from Kirov, his sight quickly skimming across the ward, failing to stop at any point for long. "Good luck, then. To you all." he shot a rushed salute, and quickly departed the room, leaving the baffled cruisers behind.

* * *

"FIRE!"

Eight guns thundered in unison, but even their roar was unable to drown out Nagato's warcry. An Abyssal cruiser vanished, its body shredded by an explosion worthy of a small nuclear bomb.

"Great job!" Kongou showed the other battleship a double thumbs up.

Before their force of five dreadnaughts and a single destroyer laid a debris-littered battlefield. Their combat trial was even more fruitful than anyone expected; what was supposed to be a quick raid towards a minor Abyssal concentration zone, turned out into a pitched battle between two comparable forces.

Destroyers were of little concern, ripped apart by Kongou sisters' precise salvos. Suzukaze kept a keen eye on any submarines potentially sneaking up in the depths.

Nagato's first salvo fired against a major surface combatant meant the real test had just begun.

Haruna and Kirishima broke off and advanced in a wide arc around the Abyssal remnant, cutting off their escape. Three ships - a Nu-class light carrier, a heavily damaged Ru-class battleship and a relatively unscathed Mi-class one - awaited their execution.

"They're all yours, Nagato-san!" Hiei cheered, rising her fist in the air. "Off we go! With our spirits held high!"

"We'll cover you!" Kongou added, rushing to interdict an incoming Abyssal airstrike. Her AA guns rattled, puffs of flak and explosions blossoming on the cloudy skies, as floaters fell from above, trailing tails of smoke.

Nagato extended her arm, barrels following her aim. Her movements were steady and confident. For the first time since her emergence from that strange construction pool, she felt like she was in the right place.

Cannons roared again, their flash blinding even in bright daylight. The grotesque carrier tried retreating, its overgrown 'head' bobbing to the sides - but there was no escape; Nagato's shells impacted the soft outgrowth, tearing it apart like a ripe puffball. Elements of stored abyssal floaters scattered around like overgrown spores, as the decapitated monster silently collapsed.

The Ru-class came next. Nagato didn't honour it with a full salvo; only two turrets roared once their reloading cycle finished. Abyssals returned fire, several shells missing their mark and bracketing Nagato's position with a wreath of geysers. Only two projectiles came any close to hurting her; thick turret armour absorbed the blast, while her durable, steel-laced gauntlet deflected the second strike. A guttural shriek of agony from the other side indicated the Ru-class met its doom a well.

Nagato thrusted forward, making a quick check of the damaged turret; the turning mechanism was operational and reloading commenced as it should; the direct hit did nothing apart from some minor structural damage.

That Akashi-san was surely a commendable engineer.

The Mi-class did not shy away; once it realized the Kongous were not participating in firefight, it changed its bearing and angled its armour against Nagato's approach. It opened fire, but its shells were far lighter than Ru-class'; they bounced harmlessly off Nagato's massive plates.

The Abyssal watched her through its visors, their unnatural light pulsating in a slow rhythm. It moves were slow, but deliberate. The monster hiding underneath the carapace knew it was doomed - but wanted to make its death count.

Nagato approached to point blank before unleashing a third salvo. Her massive armour piercing shells struck the Abyssal just as it was spitting out a barrage of its own. Even at this range, Mi-class' armour has proved to be formidable. White carapace got covered with a spiderweb of cracks, some wider ones seeping droplets of black ichor. The return salvo struck Nagato like a hammer, but again failed to cause any serious damage.

 _That is the true strength of the battleship_ , she thought, seeing the Abyssal deploy its secondary guns.

Shells rattled off her body and rigging, unable to do any harm more dangerous than scratches and dents. Her own secondaries came to life as well, the engagement turning into a furious brawl.

Just as the two were about to pass by, the Abyssal fired another salvo; each hit felt like a stab, pain drilling into Nagato's body and mind. She winced, but did not falter. Instead, she trained her guns towards the enemy, mechanism screeching and groaning from overload. Second turret jammed due to damage, but it was of little concern.

There was no earthly force that could have stopped her then.

Six guns roared in a symphony of fire and fury. The carapace in front of them collapsed with a sickening, wet crunch. The Mi-class unleashed a monstrous roar, a huge chunk of its body sprayed in a mess of flesh, smoke and ichor dozens of metres behind it. The eviscerated husk collapsed, quickly consumed by the ever-craving Abyss below their feet.

Cold wind whipped Nagato's hair, its salty scent tainted by the smell of gunpowder and thick, metallic odour of Abyssal blood. She closed her eyes, relishing in the delight that was her first victory.

Behind, the Kongous started clapping and cheering.

* * *

"The last batch of reports, admiral."

Kaga dropped a pile of documents onto Okada's desk, careful not to disturb the delicate installation. The admiral only briefly honoured those new papers with his attention, quickly returning to the one in front of him. His vacant and absent gaze did not move across the printed letters.

The flagship leaned over the desk to examine the document. It was a resignation form, signed and stamped with the base's official seal.

"Admiral…?"

Okada stirred only after she put a hand on his arm.

"I will take a look at them now…" he moved without thinking, reaching for the topmost report and covering the form with it. Without saying a word, Kaga took a few steps back, closed the office door and returned to the admiral's desk.

"Admiral, this is not a good decision."

"Yes, it… What do you mean?"

"The resignation. What is the point of giving up command now?"

"The Fleet Command will send someone more competent to lead you in this war."

"Perhaps" the answer took Kaga surprisingly little time. "But he - or she - will lack experience. Learning the ins and outs of running the base will take time. And this is one resource we are critically short on today."

"My actions keep putting you all in unnecessary danger" even with life returning to his eyes, Okada's voice remained dead and flat. "It's not just regular risk you all take every time you fight. All recent battles were inches from absolute catastrophe. This cannot continue."

"The last result was a result of unforeseen circumstances. Nothing in Ryuujou-san's data indicated a presence of such a strong battleship force. The encounter with Mi-class was also influenced by factors beyond our control. And as for operation Hikari - that was Nachi-san's decision. One we, as the staff, accepted. If we are to speak of responsibility, it belongs to us-"

"But the one putting you in those situations was always the same - me!" Okada rose from his chair, finally finding courage to facing Kaga frontally. "And the only way to prevent this from occurring over and over again in the future is to leave Raiushima in hands more capable than m-"

"Enough." Kaga grabbed the admiral by his shoulders, locking him in a firm grip. "The base is a whole. A single person's perspective is incapable of seeing the whole picture. Ashigara-san thought only of her grief - and this almost made history repeat itself last time. If you, admiral, focus only on your own perspective, then indeed, all that awaits us will be only more suffering. But it doesn't have to be this way. Can you see my point?"

Kaga's face was expressionless as usual, but there was a subtle change in this stoicism; serenity was replaced by silent, voiceless relentlessness. One far more disquieting than any flame of fury Ashigara could incite.

"You want to say I'm… selfish?" Okada forced the words out of his throat.

"No. Selfishness is thinking about one's benefit only. You want what is best for all of us - and we all see this. But sometimes decisions we should make are not the ones we feel to be the right ones."

She let the admiral go, but kept her piercing gaze on him. For a moment, a split of a second, the mask of her face twitched, just as if some suppressed reflex finally made it through to the surface.

"I will not stop you, admiral. Neither will any of us. But please, think twice."

The door closed behind Kaga, her unnaturally rushed departure leaving the office dark and silent in the darkness of deepening twilight.

* * *

"Uhm... is that truly necessary?" Tone stumbled on the gravel path, led - or more precisely, pulled - by Myokou's firm, inexorable grasp. Despite all her injuries, the cruiser's pace was quick and steady. Bathed in day's dying light, the forest around them was silent and menacing.

"It is not" Myokou replied in the matter-of-fact way only she was capable of. "Nothing really is. But Ashigara nee-chan insisted on this, and I can't help but see her point."

They stopped before the forest shrine, its door slightly ajar. The light of torches dancing inside made Tone think of some dragon sleeping within the wooden walls, its fiery breath rising up and down rhythmically. They entered the shrine, joining a small covenant.

The closest to the stele, as if presiding the meeting, sat Ashigara, a pair of crutches resting by her side. To her right, meek and seemingly dwarfed by her surroundings, kneeled Haguro. In front of them, as if manning an invisible table, sat other cruisers. Aoba, the serious look on her face dissonant with her regular cheer and happiness. Kako and Furutaka, both unusually solemn and wide awake. The newcomer Kirov was also present, observing the situation with that impersonal curiosity of hers.

"You took your time" snickered Ashigara, as Myokou finally let go of Tone's hand and took her place by her sister's side, opposite to Haguro. "Sit, sit. We have a matter to discuss."

"I... erm..." Tone tried to think of anything to say, as she sat cross-legged directly opposite Ashigara. Only then did she notice the space the girls lined was not just empty floor - an old, rugged banner laid there, red stripes of the rising sun washed and paled with time.

"What is this thing?" she asked, pointing at the flag.

The Wolf answered only after a while, her gaze leaving Tone's face and landing on the symbol between them.

"It's Myokou nee-san's banner from the Old War. The one she flied in Singapore at the time of surrender. Okada and Akashi used it as a summoning catalyst. And it became sort of our family heirloom once the four of us reunited" she finished with a faint smile.

"Nee-san donned it here it after... After Nachi... left" added Haguro.

"And before the last battle, we reformed our squadron and renewed our victory oaths with it" finished the Hungry Wolf bitterly. "It's foolish to think the Victory Division is worth anything without Nachi nee-san. But we can try to uphold the legacy."

Tone looked at the other cruisers. They listened to Ashigara's words, but in their eyes she saw the same confusion she felt in heart. Why did the Myokous summon them? What was point of this assembly?

"We all know how successful that last attempt was" snickered the Wolf, patting her crutches. "But we bit them hard. And returned without any loses. Some victory indeed..."

"We are not here to reminisce on the last battle, are we?" Kirov was visibly irritated by the half-mystical atmosphere Ashigara introduced. "Comrade Haguro said you have some important announcement?"

"I do" Ashigara reacted surprisingly calmly to Russian cruiser's cheeky remark. "Tone-san" her voice suddenly hit a most official tone, one they only heard from Myokou before. "I have a favour to ask."

"Wha-?!" taken aback by a sudden change of tone, Tone quickly regained composure. "What is it?"

"We are in no condition to lead the division into the upcoming battle. But at the same time, the division must set sail - one way or another. Therefore..."

Wincing with pain, she switched from sitting to kneeling, bowing pleadingly in front of Tone.  
"...I hereby ask you to... lead the cruisers in my stead."

The crackling of torches was the only sound filling the shrine in the silence that befell afterwards. Tone sat shocked, her mouth agape and eyes opened wide. Other cruisers' gaze bounced between her and Ashigara, as they anxiously awaited the shipgirl's response.

"I...I..." she stuttered, stunned. The sudden declaration, after all the rugged and rough bickering that plagued their relation, was the last thing she'd ever expect. "What I mean... I..."

She jumped to her feet, covering her surprise with a burst of brash, booming laughter. By the sight of Myokou and Haguro's faces, the result was less than convincing.

"Haha! You finally realized my worth, Ashigara-dono? It is you who took long enough here, methinks!"

"Yes."

That one word from Ashigara's mouth shattered all pretense of superiority Tone tried to uphold.

"Yes" repeated the Hungry Wolf, rising up from her pleading stance. Her injured legs shook with effort, but she stood firm. "You have proven your worth. You have shown the strength and skill I'd demand from myself. And as of this moment, in this room I see no one more capable of leading the Victory Division than you. If you dare to take up the banner, this is."

"I... uhm..."

"Answer me, whelp!" Ashigara barked naggingly, making Tone flinch.

"I accept! I accept!"

"Great" the Wolf bared her teeth in a triumphant grin - although a glimmer of gratefulness crossed her eyes, almost too brief for Tone to register. "And since we have this settled... Sit back down. We're not done yet."

Still stunned by the turn of events, Tone followed the command. She felt the gaze of other cruisers on her, but shunned this attention to focus on Ashigara and her sisters. For a brief moment, she wondered how would her little sibling be like. A soft, meek one like Haguro? Or a hard-headed, bloodthirsty predator like Ashigara?

As she looked and wondered, the Wolf climbed to her feet and, not bothering to pick up the crutches, limped towards the steles in the shrine's heart. From behind the central one, she pulled an unsuspicious, wooden box - and carried it back to their gathering, wincing with each painful step. The lid opened with a click, revealing its contents.

"Sake...?" Furutaka's puzzled question broke the silence.

"Yes" Ashigara ignored a stern glance shot from Myokou's side. "I... prepared it in advance. For a special occasion. Like nee-san's return... Or..."

She didn't continue the thought, instead laying out flat sakazuki cups and filling them with liquor. The goblets were simple, lacking any ornamentation or colour.

"There are eight of us" noted Kirov, seeing Ashigara put a pair of bowls in front of herself. "But you prepared nine bowls."

"Because there are nine of us in here, Kirov-san" Ashigara retorted harshly, but dropping the condensing 'gaijin' nevertheless. She then picked the spare sakazuki up and carefully walked over to the central stele, laying the drink down at its feet.

Myokou and Harugo stood up, and other cruisers followed. Kirov and Tone rose last; the former unsure on what was happening, the latter only now realizing the actual purpose of their covenant.

"We gather here..." started Ashigara, speaking slowly and with exaltation. The words flew out of her, the speech clearly prepared well in advance. "...in our darkest hour. One battle lost is but an unfortunate coincidence. But that was no mere defeat. Our foes want us broken. Our foes want to take away what we cherish. Want to taint our hearts with despair."

She paused for a second.

"But we shall not be broken! We shall take back what is ours! They will not drown us in darkness! We will rage and our rage will burn the seas and the skies alike!"

Her gaze fell on Tone. For the cruiser, it seemed as if the world contracted, reduced itself to a small area between them. There was exaltation burning in Ashigara's eyes, one Tone has never seen before - and something told her neither had anyone else.

"Do you. by your honour as the shipgirl, solemnly swear to lead the Division in battle, regardless of odds?"

"I do!"

Ashigara broke eye contact; her gaze swept around the shrine, inviting the other cruisers into the oath.

"Do you swear to vanquish our foes and protect the ones incapable of fighting the horrors of Abyss?"

"I do!" answered a choir of voices.

"Do you swear to strive towards victory, to bring doom and defeat upon our foes?"

"I do!"

"Then let this toast be the sign of your oath! Let the Victory Division be truly reborn today, and never again see defeat! Let our rage burn the sea and sky alike! Let this rage fuel us and lead us to victory!"

She lowered the goblet to her lips, drinking the whole portion in one sip. Other cruisers followed suit, their toast topped with an exclamation that shook the shrine to its foundations:

"BANZAI! BANZAI! BANZAI!"

"UUURAAA!" Kirov's roar echoed the chant, coupled by Tone's boisterous laughter. Following an impulse, the Russian cruiser rose her goblet high - but before she could smash it against the floor, Aoba grabbed her wrist.

"Kirov-chan! What do you think you're doing?!"

The surprise sobered her immediately.

"Uhm... in Russia, we break the glasses... for good luck. I, uhm... am sorry, I got carried away..."

"Good luck, you say?" Myokou looked at Kirov with polite curiosity. "Most interesting... but I think we should do this only after Nachi's return. That way she'll get her part of this good luck as well."

"Yes… right… _Soglashayus'_..." ******

With the toast done and oath sworn, the tension filling the air slowly dissipated. Aoba started scribbling something in her notebook. Kako, Furutaka and Tone got engaged in a boastful discussion about the battle at hand - even the Myokous relaxed, a silent conversation bouncing between their trio.

Kirov's exaltation evaporated as quickly as it built up, especially after the would-be goblet fiasco. She took part in many morale-boosting speeches in Vladivostok; Orlov was pretty fond on them, more often than not reaching the realms of bombastic figures and overblown ham. Molotov, as secretary ship, often gave them all short, snappy lectures aimed at keeping order and discipline. Compared to that, again, Raiushima seemed just... different.

She knew better than attempting to disprove the silly notion of 'afterlife' or reincarnation in front of Ashigara again - but facing the Japanese shipgirls conviction, she felt cracks appear in her monolithic belief. She looked at the lone goblet laying by the stelle, sake untouched by living lips. Then she looked up, at the glistening kanji commemorating the fallen cruiser.

And for the briefest moment she thought she saw a faint outline of a long-haired shipgirl leaning against the stone, observing their gathering. But she blinked - and the ghastly visage dispersed back into thin threads of incense smoke. A pair of torches softly cracked where she the phantom's eyes should have been, their golden light illuminating the narrow space behind the steles.

* * *

"Gee, I'm getting so stiff…" moaned Souryuu, putting away the teacup to stretch her back. "I really wish we could sortie again before we all get old and die!"

"Don't be ridiculous" Hiyou scolded the other carrier, much to Jun'you's amusement. "It's not that we'll be grounded here forever."

"Right, right!" Ryuujou nodded eagerly. "Once Nagato-san enters the fray, she'll just smash 'em to a pulp! Retakin' the Pearls'll be a cakewalk, I'm tellin' ya!"

"That's not what I had in mind" Hiyou took a longer sip from her cup before continuing. "I was thinking about other fleets relieving us. After that last battle I think it's pretty obvious we can't do much on our own. Not in this state."

"Akashi 'n Yuubari'll patch the girls up in no time, I'm tellin' ya!"

"Oh, I don't doubt that. At least this time they have _something_ left to patch up."

"I think you're going a bit overboard here, Hiyou-san."

"Am I, Akagi?" snarked the onmyouji carrier. "I know you always try to see the best in people, but you can't always rely on illusions. And thinking Okada can come up with any coherent plan seems to be one."

"Hey!" Souryuu turned towards Hiyou, irritated. "Aren't you too harsh in judging the old man? Sure thing, we're all going through rough times, but-"

"But those times make me actually happy we're all grounded here!" Hiyou slammed her hand against the table, stirring everybody but Kaga. "Orders written specifically to push dutiful girls like Nachi to the brink of death? Attacking enemy fortress at night, with token forces? And do you really think that sortie of yours was adequately planned, Ryuujou? The one where you got jumped by that battleship? Is that how a competent admiral acts? Tell me!"

"Hindsight is always perfect" Akagi shook her head. "And it's very easy to judge when you're not the one making decisions."

"Well then, let's ask someone who does participate in the whole decision making! Kaga, you were at Okada's office today, right? Wanna shed some light on his plans?"

"Sis, please…" Jun'you put down her mug, clicking it loudly against the table. "I'm too sober for that. Don't make a scene..."

"I just don't want anyone to share Nachi's fate anymore! And you, of all people, should understand this the most! Nachi was your friend-"

"And I do sis! But it's not the time and place to-"

A loud knock at the bungalow's door cut Hiyou's tirade short. All gathered looked at the entrance, confused.

"I will check who is it" Kaga rose from her sitting pillow, quickly marching outside and sliding the room's door shut behind her.

"Sendai-san?"

"Yeah. I've just been at HQ to grab orders for tonight's patrol and uhm… I was asked to give you this. Admiral's personal request."

She handed Kaga a thick envelope. The seal was fresh, wax still warm and soft.

"No idea what's inside, but he insisted on handing this over to you directly as soon as possible…"

"Understood. Thank you."

"No probs. So… uhm… I'll be going, right?"

"Good luck."

"To you too!" Sendai made an awkward goodbye and ran back into darkness, leaving the small patch of ground illuminated by the light coming from Kaga and Akagi's dorms. The flagship closed the door, weighing the envelope in her hands.

After a moment's hesitation, she broke the seal. Inside was a thick file of documents. She pulled it out, quickly flipping through the contents. Maps. Photographies. Diagrams. And a plain, folded sheet of paper.

Leaning against the door, she opened it. Okada's rough, hurried handwriting greeted her, ink black against the paper's white.

She ran through the letter once. Then again, more slowly.

"Everything OK?" Akagi's concerned question interrupted her third attempt at going through the admiral's words.

She looked up at her partner - and just shook her head.

* * *

Heavy clouds hung over Raiushima, suffocating morning light. Cold, winter downpour fell from the skies, making the island usually cold, even for that season of year.

Rain's drumming filled the briefing hall, no other sound daring to challenge its supremacy, There were no excited whispers, no cheerful giggle to lighten up the mood. It was hard to say which tuned in to fit the other; the nature or the shipgirls' spirits. Many seats remained empty, their usual occupants still recuperating after the last battle.

Main doors opened, the sound reverberating against the overwhelming silence. Heads turned - and for the first time, a weak choir of whispers rose:

"...where is Okada?"

"Maybe he'll join later?"

"...commander…?"

Led by Kaga alone, the staff took their places in the first row. A single chair remained vacant; Fusou's absence created a void even more depressing than her usual gloom. Ashigara's rhythmic pace echoed in the air, crutches clicking against polished, wooden floor.

The flagship did not sit down at her usual place; instead, she walked towards the pulpit, a thick folder tucked under her arm. Without any explanation, she laid out the documents, activated the projector, took a long, sweeping glance at assembled shipgirls - and only then spoke:

"Greetings. Let's begin the operational briefing."

Before she could continue, a single hand shot up from the cruisers' rows. A pink headed girl stood up, not waiting for the flagship to acknowledge her initiative.

"Kaga-san, where is the commander? Is he coming later? Did something happen?"

"Admiral Okada is currently indisposed. I am here to present you with current orders and-"

"Kaga-san!" Aoba's voice cracked. "My sister is still in hospital! I saw Sazanami-chan, we all know how hard is she holding to her life! Kaga-san, please, don't beat around the bush! We deserve to know! Please!"

All eyes turned towards the reporter cruiser, the silence dominating the storm rumbling outside. Aoba shook with uncontained desperation, but stood firm, not breaking eye contact with the flagship.

Kaga spoke again only after a longer while:

"Admiral Okada has filed in his resignation to Fleet Command."

As impossible as it seemed, the silence only deepened. All eyes turned on Kaga.

"Until his replacement arrives from the mainland, I, as the second-in-command and the flagship, take over supreme authority over the base and its operations. Do you have any more questions, Aoba-san?"

Aoba mouthed some response, but no audible voice escaped her pale lips; the hall suddenly exploded, the nervousness and anxiety bottled up finally finding a small crack to vent out. Voices mixed and tangled, a maelstrom of emotion, surprise and impatience filling the chamber.

"QUIET! QUIET I SAY, DAMMIT!"

A sudden howl blew the storm away like a mere puff of dust. All eyes turned to its source; a lone cruiser in purple uniform, standing firm, despite crutches laying idly on the floor.

"LISTEN UP, WHELPS!" even though she stood below the podium, Ashigara's aura dominated the whole room, forcing the tumultuous djinn back into its bottle. "Yes, we are _fucked_! And I don't feel any better in this situation than any of you, trust me! But if we are to get through this shitstorm, we must act together! We are the fleet! Under Okada or not, we have our duties to fulfill! So shut the _fuck_ up and listen to whatever Kaga has to say, or I will go over there and personally kick your every single, sorry ass!"

Absolute silence returned as soon as last echo of the Wolf's voice dissipated. Kaga used the time to reshuffle the papers. Outwardly, she appeared as usual - cool and stoic like a rock. But there was an almost imperceptible quiver in her voice when she spoke again:

"The night battle at the Pearl Archipelago seems to have considerably thinned out Abyssal forces. Our loses are heavy - but replaceable. In return, we have eliminated several dozens of cruisers, battleships and destroyers, not to mention tons of supplies and equipment."

The screen behind her showed photos of destroyed Abyssal installations, wrecked harbours and sea still littered with debris and pieces of wreckages.

"The Abyssals achieved a clear victory. And this is why we believe they will push on, to capitalize on this triumph. Which gives us a chance to engage them in open combat and annihilate the core of their forces."

Symbols, arrows and formations appeared on the screen, the new map showing the area between Raiushima and the Pearl Archipelago.

"All restrictions on carrier operations have been lifted. Once we receive word of the Abyssal armada leaving their base, we will move in to engage them head-on. The enemy is still numerically superiour; therefore, we need to focus on the heart of the enemy fleet."

A 3D silhouette of the Abyssal battleship princess replaced the map on the screen.

"This new Abyssal type was codenamed Mo-class. Analysis of the last engagement indicates this battleship is in command of the force that operates from the Pearl Archipelago. Eliminating it will disrupt the enemy chain of command, making the task of wiping out remaining forces much easier. Other new Abyssal types…" the screen split, showing the Mi-class battleship and the Abyssal cruiser that engaged the Myokous "...are to be considered secondary targets. Their full combat potential is still being estimated, so engage with caution. Are there any questions up to this point?"

This time, no one dared to speak up. Kaga gave the shipgirls a few more seconds, before clearing her throat to continue:

"Staff members will relay detailed instructions to their respective squadrons. From now on, the base operates at full standby. All shipgirls taking part in operation are to be ready to sortie within fifteen minutes from alarm. I want to make one thing clear - there will be no second line of defence. If we fail to stop the Abyssals on high seas, the next battle will be taking place here, on this very island."

She made one last pause, waiting for questions. None came.

"You are dismissed."


	9. IX - Kantai Kessen

**IX  
** **Kantai Kessen**

A growing moon adorned the cloudless skies above the Pearl Archipelago. Apart from from a gentle zephyr, no wind disturbed the night's perfect stillness.

Her head barely breaking the surface, I-8 observed the entrance to the main island's harbour. Searchlights swept the inky waves, beams of blinding light clawing at the darkness in a monotonous, cyclic pattern. Their hypnotizing movement repeated over and over again, countless times since the submarine began her vigil two days prior. Apart from occasional Abyssal patrols, there was no activity to report.

Until that night.

At first she thought that this was just another destroyer squadron departning for a sweep. But afterwards came the cruisers, their silhouettes a dreadful fusion of human flesh and Abyssal construct. Other ships followed up - and within less than ten minutes, the ocean in front of the harbour was swarming with all sorts and kinds of Abyssal monstrosities. Hacchi submerged even more, only her eyes remaining above the surface.

Finally, the Abyssal flagship came into sight.

Taller than any shipgirl, the armoured behemoth dwarfed even Nagato herself. Black shell covered its body, the smooth surface glistening every time a searchlight glanced the colossus. The fusion between rigging and body was so seamless the whole construct could as well be considered a work of art. The battleship's every movement, every gesture, was full of inexorable, untamed power.

It summoned four ships - two Ta-class battleships and two cruisers. One of them was the same unidentified Princess reported to engage Myokou and Haguro during their recent night battle. The Abyssals' exchange was short; it took the armada less than five minutes to form up and set sail, heading towards the open sea.

Her hands trembling, Hacchi extended her long-range antenna and activated the radio.

"This is I-8. This is I-8. Codename: Onyx. I repeat. Codename: Onyx."

Quickly, before any Abyssal marauder could notice the disturbance on the otherwise perfectly calm sea, Hacchi retracted the antenna and submerged, vanishing from sight completely.

The waves closed above her, their dark embrace equally comforting and disturbing. As the rumble of Abyssal armada grew more and more distant, she finally felt the tension let go. Her part of the operation was done. The base has been warned.

 _It's all up to you, guys…_

* * *

To say Raiushima was in a state of upheaval would be an understatement. The scout's notification and subsequent alarm were a spark, falling upon a keg of gunpowder.

The docks buzzed with a mixture of voices and metal clanging as shipgirls swarmed inside, waiting for their turn to put on their rigging. Destroyers were the easiest to service; some girls worked in pairs, their light equipment and guns simple enough to be assembled without fairies' aid. Heavier ships were a different story; tiny helpers were barely able to keep up the pace, modules being assembled mid-flight to speed up the procedure.

The outside world was almost completely silent, a stark contrast to the docks' buzz. Hushed whispers and waves splashing against the breakwaters were the only sounds disturbing the night's calm.

One by one, shipgirls slid into the harbour, its dark waters illuminated by a crescent moon. Once afloat, each girl reported to her respective squadron and took place in the grdually assembling formation.

Nagato and Haruna's launch stirred the basin, their massive bulks briefly filling the patch of water with violent waves. Wasting no time, they headed outside the breakwaters' safety, joining up with Hiei and Kongou. Behind them, Kiso and a trio of destroyers splashed, with another group readying on top of the slipway. Kirishima was nowhere to be seen yet, a faulty hinge delaying her launch.

"Battleship Nagato, reporting in!"

"Great! Once Kirishima nee-san is ready, we'll be at full strength!" Hiei attempt at encouragement being less than convincing. "How are you feeling?"

"Strange" Nagato sniggered dryly, flexing her arms. "I have yearned for this decisive battle for so long… Yet never imagined it to happen this way."

"What do you mean? That you serve under someone else's command instead of leading the charge?"

"That is one thing" this time the battleship's chuckle was a bit more hearty. "But fear not, for I shall follow your lead. There is no dishonour in obeying a capable commander, and I know I can trust you to be one."

"Thank you, Nagato-san..." Hiei blushed, embarrassed by the compliment.

"I see Kirishima-nee on the slipway!" Kongou almost jumped up, only her rigging's sheer mass keeping her in place. "So… _Let's rock, shall we?_ "

* * *

"Cruisers! Form up on me!"

Five shipgirls left the basin at flank speed, making a wide circle before taking their place in front of the battleship squadron. Tone turned to face her squadmates before stopping completely, cruising backwards for the last few metres.

"Well then! The moment is nigh! Hope you are all well rested and eager to fight, because next night we shall all feast and celebrate the victory we all hunger for!"

"Did you take this page from Ashigara's book?" Kako's half-hearted attempt at joke hit a void. The solemn atmosphere around them was oppressive and suffocating.

"You're OK, Kirov-chan?" Aoba turned to the Russian shipgirl, concerned.

" _Da_." Kirov's sight was fixated upon the moon's crescent.

"You seem a bit… absent."

"Do I?" the girl finally returned Aoba's gaze. "No, I just… You remember what you promised at Kinugasa's bedside, right? That we will see this story to an end, and that you want to write it down?"

"Yes…?"

"This is it. The ending is approaching. I feel it. And… I am wondering how am I supposed to tell this story back in Vladivostok. To Molotov. And my other comrades. This is a battle of a scale our fleet never had a chance to participate in. And it feels… strange."

"Trust me, it's pretty much the same to me…" Aoba giggled nervously, scratching the back of her neck. "It's not that I-"

"We'll all be fine!" Tone must have overheard their conversation, as she appeared nearby with little warning. "The plan is sound, our spirits strong, the foe as vile and evil as they can! There is no way we could lose!"

"Seriously…?" Kako rolled her eyes behind Tone's back.

* * *

Tama and her destroyers slid onto the water in heavy cruisers' wake. Torpedo squadrons formed up just outside the port's entrance, all in complete silence.

"Oi!" Kiso's brash exclamation broke the somber spell just as the last squadron approached. "Listen up, kiddos!"

She looked at her own group - the only quartet to return from the Pearls relatively unscathed. Asashio, Kikuzuki and Samidare awaited the command, tense and ready to act. She beckoned the other destroyers and their leads, making sure she got their attention before continuing. She also used that short while to take a closer look at the others.

Yahagi's squadron got completely replaced. Akatsuki, Inazuma and Ikazuchi took Kasumi, Kamikaze and Matsukaze's spots. Sendai's squadron was gone almost completely as well, with Tama taking over as the leader - and only Suzukaze remaining from the original composition. Her bandage got turned into a hachimaki, an improvised rising sun painted over it; a clear sign of defiance and determination not to let Samidare go into the battle alone.

"We are about to go into hellfire. And I know you're all scared. Damn me, I can barely keep my voice steady myself! And Tama or Yahagi - if you wanna say otherwise; please, don't. Lies and fake bravery are the way leading straight to the bottom, mark my words!. But dammit! Straighten up, people! We will face those Abyssal bastards, kick their asses all the way down and then make sure none of their ugly faces pops up from the waves again!"

She unsheathed her sword and twirled it in the air, pointing the tip towards the base.

"Sazanami's there! Sendai's there! Goddamn Ashigara herself's there! Can you imagine the old Wolf going into such a battle like that? Depressed, sad and fearful? Of course not! We have damn huge boots to fill! And fill them we shall! Ya hear me?!"

The words slowly burned their way to other shipgirls. Ikazuchi and Suzukaze were the first to react.

"Sure! I can't wait to finally fire my guns in a real battle! I'll show you all how reliable I am!" the little destroyer boasted, her posture a bold attempt at compensating for small size.

"Every one of us means more than a hundred of their ships!" recited Suzukaze, her eyes glistening fiercely in the moonshine.

Other destroyers didn't say anything - but the mood visibly changed, even if slightly. The overwhelming fear was replaced with something else. It wasn't the pre-battle anticipation usually permeating the air when they were to cross their blades with the Abyssals. But it wasn't the depressing gloom Kiso saw just a while ago either. A sliver of hope lined the black clouds hanging over their heads.

 _That has to suffice_ , she thought, turning away from the girls - and letting the air out. She gazed upon the distant horizon, trembling hands barely able to sheate her sword back.

* * *

The carriers assembled as the last group.

"All units, report in" came Kaga's command, cutting all conversations short.

"Battleship squadron, at the ready!" Hiei responded, her voice unusually deep and serious.

"Second Cruiser Squadron at the ready, hoisting the banner of victory!" Tone's fist shot in the air, her eagerness unflinching.

"First Torpedo Squadron ready and waiting!" Kiso cracked her knuckles.

"Second Torpedo Squadron ready to move out." Yahagi's dry confirmation carried little emotion.

"Third Torpedo Sqnyadron ready!" Tama's eyes lit up, red irises glowing with reflected moonlight.

"Second Carrier Group, ready and waitin'!" Ryujouu's petite posture contrasted with Shouhou's slender figure by her side.

"Third Carrier Group, awaiting orders!" Jun'you quickly hid a flask among the folds of her loose miko robe, ignoring her sister's condemning gaze.

"First Carrier Group at the ready" finished Kaga, flanked by Akagi and Souryuu. "Fleet, form up on us and assume double line formation. We will review the battle plan en route. Move out!"

* * *

"Looks like Tone-san takes her new role seriously"

Ashigara looked over her shoulder, pulled out from her thoughts' depths.

"Oh? Haguro...? When did you come here?"

"Just before Tone-san started her speech… Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you…"

"No, no, no, that's fine" Ashigara sent her sister a reassuring smile, shuffling a bit to make a space for her to sit as well. "Actually I'm glad somebody's here… I need to get back home once they're gone - and standing up on my own is still a pain, even if I can do fine without crutches."

"Glad I can help" Haguro smiled, as she sat next to her sister. "And I am also happy to see you and Tone-san finally found some common ground."

"That's much to say" the Wolf shrugged. "She's reckless and brash. Acts without thinking. She sometimes ends up being equally dangerous to herself as to Abyssals… Wait, why are you laughing, nee-chan?"

"It's just…" Haguro blushed, embarrassed by the chuckle she just let out "...you sound a lot like Myokou nee-san now. She said the exact same words so many times… although not about Tone-san."

"Hmpf" Ashigara pouted and crossed her arms, watching the departing fleet for a while, before turning back to Haguro. "Hell, maybe that's exactly what our fleet needs. Someone reckless enough to lead them to victory. Especially now, during this battle."

They sat a while in silence, observing the rearmost shipgirls fade from sight, their silhouettes blurring with darkness.

"Any news about Okada?"

"No…" Haguro replied silently, as if afraid to disturb the night's restored calm. "No one has seen him since he handed command over to Kaga-san…"

"My hero" Ashigara hissed through clenched teeth, a bitter scowl on her face. "And just when I thought he might have accidentally grown some balls."

"Have you tried to see him yourself?"

"What for? He did the best thing he could. If he thinks he's unfit to lead the fleet - so be it. The two of us had that talk already. I approved of his new plan. It failed, even though we did what we could. To say he didn't take that well is to say nothing. A broken commander in charge is worse than an incompetent one. So if Okada wants to go… there is no point in holding him by force."

"And you… you're just OK with letting this happen?"

"No." Ashigara looked directly into Haguro's eyes, her voice low. "And no member of the Staff is, each for their own reasons. I can try to forgive, nee-chan, but I cannot _forget_. If this whole plan works, if we win here and now, maybe it will convince that cowardly imbecile to grow a spine and stay. And then I will see to it that he never forgets his obligations and duties to the fleet again. To us."

"And if… if we fail?"

Ashigara looked back to the sea, its dark waters seamlessly meeting the night sky in the distance.

"Then this whole conversation is moot anyway, isn't it?"

* * *

"On my mark" Kaga's command cut the air. Bowstrings creaked, pulled back and prepared to fire; flight scrolls unfurled, long stretches of magical paper yanked by wind's restless blows. The armada stood in silent anticipation, as the flagship awaited the final confirmation from her Saiuns.

"Launch."

Arrows and shikigami darted into the air, turning mid-flight into airplanes. One by one, squadrons of Zeros, Ryuuseis, Reppus, Shindens and Suiseis filled the space above the fleet, spiralling and climbing underneath the leaden canopy. Hundreds of aircraft swarmed, the combined buzz of their engines merging into a single, pulsating throb in shipgirls' chests.

Somewhere in front of them, just below the horizon, laid the Abyssal force. Those ships might have been invisible yet - but the aura of dread surrounding them was tangible. Stifling. Palpable.

"I hope we still have the element of surprise…" Souryuu lowered her weapon, the last of her flights quickly accelerating to join the strike force.

"According to our scouts, we do" Kaga's expressionless face was like a lifeless mask. "There are some floaters airborne, but they had no change in activity since we spotted the enemy for the first time."

"Plus we have the numerical superiority" Akagi put a hand on Souryuu's shoulder, trying to reassure their newest companion. "There are two Wo-class and a handful of Nu-class present in the Abyssal fleet. If we manage to strike them before they deploy the rest of their floaters, we should be able to control the flow of battle."

"Contact in twenty minutes." Kaga signaled the fleet. "Maintain formation and slowly approach the enemy. Our attack will commence once we get confirmation of the strike force's status."

A choir of confirmations echoed across the air.

* * *

Waves almost licked their bottoms, as the squadron of Ryuuseis braved the gusts of wind. The Abyssal armada was directly in front of them. Above, half-hidden among dark grey clouds, were fighters and dive bombers. Another report from the Sauins came, and the formation adjusted its course slightly.

Eight minutes to contact.

Fighters sped up and climbed, completely disappearing from sight, clouds supposed to cover the final phase of their approach. Dive bombers were to stay in sight, baiting the enemy floaters up, where fighters would dive back to intercept. Torpedo bombers were to approach low, using the resulting lack of aerial cover to take out their targets. Should the plan succeed, the Abyssals would be left with multiple ships crippled, opening the way for the surface force to go in for the kill.

They were six minutes to contact when another message from spotter planes came; the floaters' loose patrol changed pattern. Abyssal carriers started launching additional constructs. Twenty seconds later came yet another report; enemy fighters began climbing. The ruse seemed to work.

The Abyssal armada was frightening; dozens of ships, ranging from destroyer pseudowhales to battleships and carriers, filled the horizon in front of them, their silhouettes black against the uniform leaden backdrop of sea and sky.

Flights split from the formation, each picking a different Abyssal to attack. Ta-class battlecruisers. Wo and Nu-class carriers. Cruisers. And on top of that, the flagship.

The squadron commander's flight headed for the towering Princess in the middle of the Abyssal formation. A dreadful, obsidian figure commanded the armada, her jet-black armour seemingly absorbing the light around.

Two minutes to contact.

Fighters fell upon the floaters like a sledgehammer. Guns and cannons blazed, explosions filling the sky. Billows of flak blossomed, as Abyssal AA guns reacted to the attack. The element of surprise worked. Floaters were disorganized, their counteraction delayed and lacking focus.

A Reppu rolled to the side, entering a steep dive. In front of it, two Suiseis began their strike, picking a Wo-class carrier as target. In front of them, a pair of floaters climbed up, heading for interception. Reppu's fairy pilot opened the throttle, the engine's intensified roar drowning out all other sounds. In a few seconds, the fighter shot past the Suiseis, its airframe rattling and creaking on the verge of falling apart. The pilot slammed the trigger hard, showering Abyssals with lead. One floater disintegrated mid-air, struck by a barrage of cannon slugs. The other rolled to the side in a desperate dodge, bullets ripping holes in its carapace. It stalled, falling powerlessly into the waters below.

The fairy pulled up, shedding off excess energy, as the Suiseis continued their dive uninterrupted. A few seconds later, they released their bombs - and the carrier's carapace blossomed with explosions, its huge chunk vaporized by the blast.

The Reppu rejoined the battle, the maelstrom of destruction all around intensifying as more and more floaters joined the fray. Suddenly, the radio crackled - and a desperate call for help sounded. A fairy's voice - belonging to one of the Ryuuseis' pilots - lasted only for a second, before being interrupted by a sound of explosion and replaced by empty buzz of static.

Around them, the skies suddenly turned black.

* * *

Torpedo squadrons passed the outer rim of Abyssal escorts without casualties, flak fire too surprised and inaccurate to be dangerous. Fighters tied up the floaters high above, dive bombers slammed into enemy ships. A lone Ri-class got hit just as commander fairy's Ryuusei passed by, a gaping hole in its chest spewing ichor all around. The black Princess stood in front of them, their tight formation making it nigh impossible for the enemy to dodge the incoming strike.

For a split of second, the fairy imagined the monster collapsing, a torpedo ripping its leg off. A decapitating strike that would grant them victory. A dream they wouldn't have dared to hope for a day ago - but which was now within their reach.

This bright vision got torn apart at the moment her wingman's plane lost its tail section. The rest of the bomber slammed hard into the water, torpedo detonating upon impact. Her other wingman was just torn to shreds by a flurry of shells, not a trace of the plane left behind.

A black hurricane of flak clouds erupted all around them. Shrapnels rattled against the fuselage, a suffocating billow of death expanding in all directions. Other Ryuusei flights got caught in the barrage as well, some bombers detonating with their torpedoes still attached.

The fairy looked around, trying to locate the source of enemy fire. Their plan accounted for projected Abyssal AA strength. The few Tsu-class present in the fleet were far away, aircraft's approach specifically taking their location into account. Other Abyssals lacked the sufficient firepower to set up such a screen. At least the ones they knew about…

Her gaze fell upon the Princess. The battleship's armour sparkled, glimmers of light flashing rhythmically across the black plates. Each of them was a single AA barrell, some grouped in doubles, some in quads. Hundreds of shots per second, each adding another billow of death to the air around them.

The plane shook in agony as an explosion ripped its wing off. The fairy jettisoned the torpedo, using the remaining momentum to pull up in spite of damage. She tried to keep the Ryuusei on impact course with the Princess. A second hit annihilated her other wing. Next shell flew across the propeller, exploding inside the engine. Flames engulfed the plane, smoke blinding and choking the fairy. One last shell penetrated the windshield, ending the courageous commander's charge.

Her plane splattered against the battleship's bow, burning parts showering the water around. The Abyssal smirked, shaking the wreckage off her plates like an insignificant speck of dust.

Above, the squadrons scrambled back towards the fleet, decimated and broken.

* * *

"Seventy two percent"

"What?!" Souryuu looked at Kaga incredulously.

"Seventy two percent of torpedo bombers lost. Twenty two percent of dive bombers. Forty percent of fighters."

"What happened?!"

"The Abyssal Princess has an unexpectedly strong anti air suite" Kaga's face was emotionless as always, making the tension in her voice even more disturbing. "Something we could not have evaluated earlier, as we lacked the data."

"At least we thinned out their air cover" Ryuujou had the headphone pressed to her ear, listening to reports from her aircraft. "Plus we took out most of their carriers. Our girls don't have to worry 'bout bein' bombed to bits!"

"Except for that Princess will wipe out whatever second wave we can send in to aid our surface ships." Hiyou unfurled her scroll, preparing to recover survivors.

"Your orders, Kaga-san?"

The flagship bit her lip, Akagi's question hanging in the air, unanswered. First returning strike craft appeared in their sight, many of them trailing black smoke. Radio crackled, a litany of desperate pleas and calls for help flooding the ether.

It was not that they had any option.

"Prepare the second wave to launch as soon as we recover the survivors. Once Tone-san confirms the Tsu-class have been taken out, we repeat the attack."

* * *

"Uhm!" Tone confirmed the message, before turning to the rest of her squadron. "We have the signal to attack. Looks like Kaga-dono wants to play this boldly, and so shall we! Assume pincer pattern!"

"Pincer, huh?" Furutaka finished tweaking her guns' rangefinder. "Splitting up with the battleships, are we?"

"Yup!" Tone's enthusiasm remained unfazed, even after the news of the first wave's doom. "We're going in from the east, towards the gap in Abyssal formation. Our bombers managed to take out several cruisers, exposing the squadron of Tsu-class AA ships protecting the flagship. Once we take them out, the second wave will have a clear path to strike the core of enemy force directly!"

"And what if enemy flagship moves in to engage us before that?"

"Then we pull out and lure it away, while our battleships strike from the west and do their job, Kirov-dono! Either way, victory will be secured!"

"Seriously…" the Russian cruiser overheard Furutaka whisper to Kako "...did Ashigara brainwash her? Or was she like that all the time and we just somehow didn't notice…?"

"Onwards!" Tone sped up, forcing other cruisers to pick up the pace. "To victory! Are you with us, Kiso-dono?"

"Yeah!" the green-haired light cruiser bared her teeth, her squadron following in Tone's wake.

* * *

They slammed into the Abyssal escort force head-on, destroyers and cruisers swarming all around. Kiso and her unit spread out, filling water with torpedoes. Furutaka and Kako, inseparable as always, focused on the heaviest opponents at hand, enemy cruisers falling one by one under their coordinated strikes. Aoba and Tone kept their distance, working to cut a path towards the objective.

The mixed scent of gunpowder, ichor and steel cleared Kirov's head of any useless thoughts. Her mind was blank, body ready for battle. Reality blurred into a stream of sensations, processed with the training she got at Vladivostok.

Advance. Turn. Fire. Dodge. Fire. Advance.

Her tweaked guns grouped shells with impressive precision, their velocity ripping holes in Abyssal carapaces and tearing apart chunks of necrotic flesh. Whenever an enemy got too close, her trusted _shashka_ 's swift slash ended its pitiful life, sprays of ichor tarnishing Kirov's uniform.

This time they were on the offensive. This was no chaotic brawl that damn night battle had turned into. Their objective was clear. The enemy had no aces hidden up its sleeve. It was now or never. And if there was something the shipgirls of Raiushima taught her - it was that "never" had no place in their dictionary. And the furious carnage all around proved that odds also meant little to the insane Japanese.

Far away, a distant thunder sounded. Then another. And another.

"It's Hiei and the battleships!" Aoba stopped shooting for a second to listen to the barrage, its deep, resonating bass so different from their guns' roar.

"The foe did not take our bait!" Tone snickered through the radio. "They will find honourable death at Hiei-dono and the rest's hands, that is for sure! Now, press on!"

Kirov did not waste time to confirm the order. There were still enemies to defeat.

* * *

The battleships approached the Abyssal formation from the west, Yahagi's squadron spearheading the way. Their torpedo strike was far less successful than it could have been - but that changed little in the overall situation. The main punch was in Hiei and her battleships' hands.

"FIRE!"

Guns roared along their line, hurling tons of steel against the Abyssal flank. Towers of churning foam erupted where they missed - and blossoming explosions marked where the enemies met their demise.

"Focus fire on cruisers and keep an eye out for battleships!" Hiei's command sounded through the radio. "If the Princess decides to engage, we are to support Nagato-san, but avoid direct confrontation!"

"Roger that!"

A predatory smile flashed on Nagato's face. The final battle was upon them. The moment she was born for so long ago… the moment she was denied of so many times… the moment she hungered for so long.

Her guns slowly rolled to the right, a full broadside unleashed to vaporize a meager Ri-class seconds later. Yahagi and the destroyers skimmed around, taking out smaller pests and providing support with their torpedoes. In front of her, four Kongous cruised in a single line, their guns blazing at regular intervals. The symphony of destruction sped up, its staccato intensifying every second.

They took a wide turn, heading towards the heart of Abyssal armada. Yahagi and the Akatsuki-class worked hard to keep the enemy away, but the thickening swarm was getting more aggressive the deeper they went. Secondary batteries rattled, their shells exploding against black carapaces. Remaining floaters attempted to strike at the advancing battleships, their runs easily avoided by agile Kongous or shrugged off by Nagato's armour.

Finally, a deeper whizz cut the air. Hiei swerved to the side, a geyser erupting in the place she would have been a second ago. Heavy slabs of steel hit the waves around them, each followed by a deafening explosion.

"There they are!"

Haruna pointed to a gap in Abyssal escorts, where a number of tall, massive silhouettes approached fast. Ru-class, in their massive exoskeletons. Ta-class, their sleek figures resembling oversized cruisers. Deformed Mi-class, cumbersome and awkward under their overgrown carapace. Cruisers and destroyers moved out of their way, marauders being forcefully pushed away.

"Good!" Nagato primed her guns at the closest Ru-class, firing as soon as all barrels aligned. Explosions blossomed on the crumbling exoskeleton, ichor spilling out of mutilated body. "One by one! LET THEM COME! FIRE!"

The Abyssals replied in kind, Raiushima's spearhead meeting an actual resistance for the first time. Yahagi and the destroyers moved out of the way. With the corner of her eye, Nagato saw Ikazuchi barely manage to save her sister from being rammed by an advancing Ta-class. Without stopping, she turned her port turrets towards the enemy battlecruiser and unleashed a salvo. Even with her firepower halved, it was more than enough to knock the monster over, where it met its demise at the hands of Raiden twins' torpedoes.

In front and a bit to the side, Hiei cried out in pain. An Abyssal shell hit her rigging, penetrating the armour and exploding inside the turret's barbette. Haruna and Kongou moved in to assist, the Mi-class responsible showered with retaliatory fire.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" the leading battleship shooed them away, blood dripping down her injured shoulder. "Kongou nee-sama, move to assist Kirishima-nee! Haruna, aim for that Ru-class over there, before it gets within range to attack Yahagi-san and her squadron! Nagato-san, what is your status?"

"Keep those weaklings coming!" she grinned, another salvo cracking a Mi-class in half. She then moved on to engage the closest Ta-class in a brawl. Their secondaries opened fire as they clashed, Nagato's punch breaking the Abyssal's neck like a twig.

In the distance, she saw cruisers break through and eliminate the hapless Tsu-class cruisers.

"We did it! Kaga-dono, you're clear to send in the second wave!" Tone's triumphant confirmation crackled from the radio, followed by a burst of brashful laughter.

Nagato saw Hiei knock out another battleship, her damaged rigging smoking and fire sprouting from dents in armour. Kirishima lost her glasses, blood dripping from a gush on her forehead. Kongou and Haruna remained relatively unscathed - fighting inside the greatest concentration of Abyssal ships, decimating their ranks like a pair of valkyries.

The enemy was strong. Overwhelmingly strong. But their steel resolve could not be broken so easily. A feeling of incredible power filled Nagato. They were unstoppable. There was nothing that could possibly stand in the way of their war machine. Victory was in sight.

A distorted voice behind her slashed the air like a scythe.

" **INTERESTING.** "

She spun around, all guns primed at the new target. A tall, slender figure. Cascade of white hair, rippling in the whirlwind of battle. Rigging dwarfing anything Nagato has ever seen - but at the same time elegant in its perfect, sleek form. Black body armour, only barely tarnished by oceanic salt and the soot of battle. Twelve barrels, aimed at the Nagato's chest. A prideful smirk on a long face, an undertone of mocking admiration completing the picture.

" **SO IS THIS ALL THE DRYLANDERS HAVE LEFT? A HANDFUL OF PITIFUL WEAKLINGS, SO BLINDLY VALIANT IN THE FACE OF DEFEAT?** "

* * *

The last of the Tsu-class exploded, its thin armour torn apart by Aoba's salvo. The collapsing corpse sank quickly, a smear of oil and ichor being the only sign of its existence. All around them, wrecks and debris floated on restless waves. The Abyssal flank had been shattered, the enemy forced to retreat and regroup. In the distance, on the other side of the fleet, battleships engaged the core of hostile force.

"It seems the Princess finally went for our champions!" Tone lowered her binoculars, an exalted grin of awe on her face. "And with Kaga-dono sending in the second wave, mopping up what remains will be a leisure!"

Kirov scanned the vicinity with her rangefinder. A nagging feeling started rising in the back of her mind as the battle slowed down. It felt like a single piece was missing from the puzzle. The engagement was intense, the enemy fought with unrivaled ferocity… yet something felt wrong. And once the battle frenzy subsided, she could finally spare a while to focus on that feeling.

Slowly, the jigsaw puzzle clicked together. She switched her radio on.

"To all units. Did anyone spot the cruiser Princess?"

Other members of her squadron shook their heads.

"Don't think so…" Aoba bit her lip.

"Kiso here. Not a sign."

"Yahagi. Most enemy cruisers on this side eliminated, not a sign of the cruiser Princess."

"Tama-nya. Nyanthing in the carriers' vicinity."

"Did Hacchi report both Princesses leaving the Pearls?" Furutaka lit up her combat display, quickly browsing through message archive.

"She did" Aoba tapped the screen, finding the relevant part first. "But this would mean…"

"No time to babble!" Tone restarted her propulsion, turning towards the battleships' position. "We still have foes to vanquish! Once the leader falls, we can look for missing retainers - but by no means earlier! Onwards! And keep your eyes peeled for any backstabbing, dishonourable Abyssal scum trying to strike us from behind!"

Kirov moved out last, closing the formation. Tone's carefree optimism did little to calm her down.

In front of them, two titans clashed.

* * *

This storm came out of the blue, cloudless sky.

Explosions ripped apart Raiushima's automated defence emplacements, floaters levelling their flight after dropping bombs and proceeding to strafe the complex proper. Massive turrets and AA batteries alike got vaporized by the sudden strike, fireballs rising above the base's rooftops.

Then came the barrage of high-explosive shells, tearing the docks' roof apart and setting the building ablaze. A single shell landed inside the arsenal, the resulting detonation sprouting as high as the mountaintop and drowning out the alarms' blare. A second salvo centred on the plaza, the Academy building and its surroundings receiving several direct hits.

The Abyssal spearhead assaulted the breakwaters, crawling over the concrete barrier and preventing the emergency gates from closing off the basin. Soon, the first wave hit the shore, climbing onto white beaches like a living oil spill.

Massive transports beached, their bloated bodies erupting to release swarms of crab-like constructs. Cruisers followed soon after, dropping their rigging in shallow waters and climbing upon dry land with only their weapons and body armour equipped. Battleships and carriers stayed at some distance, supporting the invasion with their firepower.

One cruiser differed from the rest, its heavy armour and enclosed helmet being of unique design. A pair of sickeningly yellow eyes scanned the base, glaring from behind the narrow, horizontal slit in the faceplate.

The Princess jettisoned her propulsion, taking a step into the shallow water below. Sand crunched under her boots as she climbed ashore. Wristguns extended from her bracers with a silent, dry click. Just next to her landing site another transport beached, spewing out a swarm of crawlers and tainting the white sand with thick, oily ichor. Dozens of constructs and Abyssals alike charged up the embankments, with the Princess leading the assault.

In front of them first chaotic shots were fired, as the shipgirls of Raiushima scrambled to defend their home. A cruiser just next to the Princess fell down, its body pierced by a lucky shot. Without stopping, she fired at the building the shot came from, forcing the defenders to leave cover and fall back.

Above them, the floaters turned for another pass.


	10. X - The Island of Storms

**X  
** **The Island of Storms**

The Princess eyed Nagato with curiosity. The kind of superior glance you spare for an interesting insect, before squashing it and moving on.

" **I WAS HOPING FOR A CHALLENGE...** "

Her rigging was massive, just as the reports said. Plates the size of destroyer's whole equipment have been combined to make an elegant, sleek shell that seamlessly transitioned into a jet-black body armour. Four triple turrets aimed towards Nagato's chest, ready to execute her at any second.

But the Abyssal didn't fire, savouring every moment of her immediate victory . Nagato's body tensed, mind desperately thinking of a way out of the trap. Sounds of battle raging around them became distant and muffled. Everything beside the imposing titanness she faced was an irrelevant blur.

Salvation came from outside the small bubble her universe shrank to.

"A CHALLENGE?! I WILL GIVE YOU ONE, BASTARD!"

With a furious battlecry, Hiei slammed into the Princess, throwing the giantess out of balance. Even with all her mass applied, the Kongou-class barely managed to move the opponent - at least the massive broadside no longer aimed for Nagato.

" **OUT OF MY WAY.** "

With a single blow in the stomach, the Abyssal made Hiei fold in half. Breaking spine's sickening, wet crunch was followed by a weak yelp of pain - and the battleship collapsed onto the waves. The Princess did not spare any more second on the distraction; her attention returned to Nagato, icy fury burning in her glowing eyes.

But shipgirl was already on the move, zigzagging to keep the enemy from regaining aim. She steered away from Hiei, letting Haruna and Kongou approach and tow their sister away from the heat of battle. Somewhere to their side, Kirishima fought off a group of enemy Ta-classes, each of their blows returned tenfold.

Nagato knew she had to lure her opponent away, give the Kongous time to evacuate Hiei.

A lone Ru-class moved in for intercept; Nagato's point-blank salvo blew half of its exoskeleton away, along with a better part of the torso. She passed by the crumbling corpse, turning to face her main opponent. Firing as soon as her artillery reloaded, she could only watch her shells haplessly shatter against the Princess' plating.

" **I WAS CONCEIVED TO CHALLENGE YOUR CHAMPIONS** " an expression of insane, overpowering exaltation dominated the Abyssal's face. " **AND YET _YOU_ THINK YOU STAND A CHANCE?!**"

The Princess retaliated with full force, Nagato only barely managing to dodge the salvo. Massive shells bracketed her position, geysers of churning water erupting high above their heads.

The enemy advanced, relentlessly closing distance. They exchanged another salvo - and again, Nagato's shells barely dented the Abyssal's armour. The Princess scored a single direct hit in return, bending Nagato's armour inwards. Rivets and splinters scattered all around like shrapnels, slashing the shipgirl's body.

The universe around them shrank again, a tiny bubble of ocean becoming Nagato's only reality. With every second, the Princess reduced the gap between them, her bloodthirsty gaze never leaving her prey for a second.

But this was no place to show fear.

"I am the fleet's champion! I am your opponent and I shall vanquish you here and now!"

" **HUH?** " the Abyssal's voice became viciously playful, her distorted laughter filling the air. " **YOU ARE BOLD. BUT YOUR FIGHT ENDS HERE. AGAIN. AND THIS TIME, NO FOOL WILL GIVE HER LIFE TO DELAY THE INEVITABLE.** "

This time the salvo was far more accurate; reinforced front of Nagato's turret managed to shrug off a single hit, but even angled, her rigging was not able to withstand the rest of the blow. Huge chunks of steel got torn away by the blast, its tremendous force scattering them on the patch of sea behind her.

Pain spread across her limbs as the impact reached her body. Time slowed down, each of the Princess' movements stretching into infinity. Nagato's frantic thoughts jumped between present and the battles she fought, but could not remember. Of the skirmishes she participated in since her rebirth. Of the blinding light, separating those two episodes. Of the cold embrace of abyss she felt in-between.

 _Again_ , said the Princess.

Was she really doomed to repeat the cycle? Come to life with promises of glory and triumph, only to die at the hands of some unspeakable terror? To live through this endless struggle over and over again?

 _No._

She will break the cycle.

And there was only one way to do so.

She rushed forward, just as the Abyssal unleashed another barrage. Her mind filtered out the shock and pain. She didn't care if the sudden lightness she felt was due to adrenaline rushing in her veins, or to her own rigging being obliterated under the onslaught.

Dashing forward, she sped up to cross the last few metres separating them. She barely felt another blow land below her waist.

It took her half a second too long to realize the Abyssal split her salvo in two, the second shot delayed just long enough to counteract Nagato's plan.

The second blow zeroed on her rigging, a desperate attempt at a dodge making the shipgirl miss her target. Instead of latching onto her opponent, she passed by the Princess by mere inches, all her momentum turned into even more pain, as she impacted the grey waters.

She rolled to her back, facing the Abyssal again. There was a trail of rusty sea in her wake, slowly spread all around by waves. Mangled and broken, her legs were little more than bloodied sacks of flesh and bones. But she was afloat. And her guns were primed at the Abyssal's exposed side. The Princess' portboard guns turned quickly, racing against the time.

Nagato yelled with fury, slamming the trigger with all her might. She felt a sting of regret that she could not see her opponents eyes, be the final sight burnt into the Princess' dying mind - but in the end, it was but a small splinter, compared to the hellish fury that erupted when the Princess fired her guns a split of second later.

* * *

"Haguro! Gather the destroyers and make sure they hide in Akashi's workshop! Myokou! Grab a gun from Akashi, get to the frontline and coordinate the defenders! I'll get to HQ, we need to have the admiral evacuated!"

There was no time for formalities or deeper thought. With floaters zooming across the sunny sky, the sound of cannonade coming from the seaside and Abyssal crawlers skittering all over the place, it was time to act.

Akashi's arsenal had spare sets of rigging for each of them - so hopefully, Myokou and Haguro would not be helpless against the invasion. She didn't have that luxury. The HQ was too close to the seaside for her to waste time suiting up. It might have already gotten overrun.

Ashigara spent but a second to watch her sisters go, before moving out herself. The Abyssals outsmarted them. The majority of their firepower was gone, fighting on the high seas. The base was manned by injured or inexperienced shipgirls. And there was no one to coordinate the defences.

At least she could do something about the last point..

She passed by the hospital. Through the ground floor windows, she could have seen Tatsuta and Sendai coordinating the evacuation of their wounded comrades. Anti air emplacements on the roof - some automated, some manned by fairies - did their best to keep the floaters away. But it was only a matter of time before the crawlers and Abyssals reached their location. Their only hope of surviving this onslaught was evacuating to the underground part of Akashi's workshop and hoping the main fleet returns before the Abyssals win the siege.

Her wounds ached. The adrenaline rush was as painful as it was driving, her body still not recovered completely from the strain of that damned night battle. But injuries were no excuse. There was no time. She had to hurry.

* * *

They have broken through.

Rushed and ill-prepared, the defence line set up by the shipgirls managed to stop the assault for a while - but cracked once the battleships focused their bombardment. Buildings collapsed. Screams of pain and terror echoed among the rubbles, abandoned positions quickly overran by the advancing few of her comrades unlucky enough to get injured were pulled back into the Abyss' safe embrace, specialized crawlers seeing into it.

The invasion spilled into the base's plaza, defenders retreating deeper inland. It was but a pointless gesture of defiance. The shipgirls hoped to retreat to Akashi's entrenched foxhole - where they would meet only despair and starvation, futilely waiting for the aid to come. They'd be forced into submission, sooner or later.

And once their defective shells got peeled away, their souls would return to the Abyss. Away from the drylanders and theirs schemes. To the only place they could rightfully call home.

The Princess climbed over an improvised barricade, her sight briefly landing on a red shrine visible on the distant mountain slope above the base. An irrelevant drylander construct, of no tactical value. One she would personally demolish once the island got pacified. Once that final tempest silenced this Island of Storms forever.

Victory was at hand.

A guttural, distorted chuckle escaped from underneath her helmet.

* * *

Shigure ran onto the plaza, gun heavy in her hand. Kasumi and both Kamikaze sisters followed close by. Their position on the base's flank got overwhelmed, so she ordered the only thing reasonable - retreat towards the HQ, and then to Akashi's workshop.

But she did not expect to see the other lines fall so quickly too.

The whole seaside part of the base of was devastated, no building left intact. Crawlers and Abyssals were all over the place, searching the rubbles for survivors. Luckily, it seemed her comrades managed to retreat in order.

A single Abyssal, clad in a tight body armour, was making her way towards the HQ. The exact same as the one mentioned in Haguro and Myokou's reports. According to Hacchi's report, both Princesses were supposed to be a part of the main force that departed the Pearls the previous day. She was supposed to be there, on the high seas.

Yet there she was, leading the onslaught.

 _And there was no one to stand between her and the HQ_.

Shigure acted without thinking. She beelined to intercept the Princess, finding herself between the Abyssal and the base's heart. Her little squad followed suit, four guns aimed at the invader.

 _This is madness_ , she thought, feeling the sense of dread overcome the brief rush of adrenaline. But she stood firm. Somebody will come here soon. Somebody will save them from the dreadful being in front of them. They just had to delay the Princess. Stop her. Do something. Anything.

"Fire!"

Their guns blasted away, as the cruiser jolted to the side. The closest of Abyssals tried to rush to the princess' aid - but the Princess gestured towards it, apparently commanding it to stand down.

 _She didn't take them seriously_ , Shigure realized. _She just wanted to toy with them_.

Fast as a lightning, the cruiser closed the distance - sending Matsukaze flying with a single blow of her clawed gauntlet. Using the momentum, she proceeded to grab Kasumi's arm. A wet crack mingled with the girl's cry of pain, as the Abyssal tore the shipgirl's limb out of its socket. Kasumi's suffering was cut short by a powerful blow to the head - slamming her against the ground and knocking her unconscious. A small pool of blood spilled from beneath the girl's twitching body, red against the bright grey cobblestone.

Shigure and Kamikaze dashed to the opposite sides. The Princess did not catch the bait - she just rose her arm, wristguns firing a shot at Kamikaze's landing spot. The explosion sent the destroyer back into the air, slamming her against the closest building. She tried climbing back to her feet - but the princess was faster, a single slash across Kamikaze's chest ripping her uniform to shreds and leaving four deep gashes. Crying in pain, the destroyer collapsed to the ground, a kick to the head knocking her lights out.

This allowed a single blast from Shigure's gun to connect. The shell hit the side of the princess' helmet, the impact forcing the Abyssal to take a step back. The ivory plate shattered, bits and pieces scattered all over the place. The lower half of her faceplace was blown clean off - but as the Princess turned towards the lone surviving destroyer, it became apparent no actual damage was done.

The Princess grabbed the remaining part of her mask and pressed hard, her long fingers wrapping around the jagged rim. Cracks stretched and branched out across the faceplate - and after a few seconds, it crumbled completely.

" **IMPRESSIVE.** "

Shigure felt another wave of dread as the Princess looked directly upon her, a pair of sickeningly yellow eyes finally in full sight - and with them, the Abyssal's face. A face she saw so many times during classes in the Academy. A face belonging to the teacher she used to respect and trust implicitly.

The Princess didn't even need to dash towards her; she just approached the paralyzed Shigure without any rush, grabbed the destroyer by the throat and effortlessly slammed her against the HQ wall, knocking the wind out of her chest.

" **A SHAME YOU WASTED YOUR POTENTIAL, CHILD.** "

The second slam sent Shigure straight into the dark, unconscious nothingness, the last defender swept away from the Princess' path.

* * *

Blood dripped out of Shigure's mouth, thin streaks of red tainting the Abyssal's alabaster skin. Each shallow breath whistled through her strangled windpipe, chest moving up and down almost imperceptibly. The Princess loosened her grip - and the destroyer collapsed to the ground, like a broken puppet.

She would be recovered. Restored. Rebuilt. Freed of drylander slavery, free of pain and suffering that was an inseparable part of their existence. And once this was done…

The girl had grown a lot since their last meeting. Pitiful as it was, her stand was a impressive one as well. Once her reconstruction was complete, she would make a fine addition to their fleet.

The Princess smirked at the thought. This was but a first addition. Soon, more would come.

Soon, her whole family would be reunited again.

HQ oaken doors were blown to pieces by a single blast of her guns, the gateway to Okada's hideout opened. She crossed the threshold slowly, savouring the taste of victory with the tip of her tongue.

* * *

"NAGATO-SAN!"

They reached the location a few seconds too late to stop the battleship's suicidal charge. Unleashed at point-blank range, there was no way for the combined salvos to miss. Two fireballs blossomed, merging into a brief maelstrom of fire and smoke. They rushed inside blindly, not waiting for the billow to disperse.

Aoba found Nagato first; half-sunk, the battleship floated lifelessly, blood seeping into water from her countless injuries. Her legs practically ended at the knees, only carnage and bloody mess below. It was hard to tell what was keeping what remained of her rigging together - but it was no short of a miracle.

"QUICK! TONE-SAN! WE NEED TO TOW HER TO SAFETY!"

Japanese cruisers followed the cry, coming to the reporter's aid. But Kirov's attention was focused elsewhere. Through the commotion, she felt another presence in the thick billow. Through the sounds of battle still raging around them, she heard a barely audible sound of something huge lurking around.

The Princess was still there. And after all they had seen, it would be foolish to believe Nagato's strike knocked her out of commission.

Then she saw it; a silhouette across the thinning smoke, dwarfing everything she knew from Vladivostok or Raiushima. But there was something strange in the way it moved - and it took Kirov a second to realize the exact reason.

It was listing. Damaged. Possibly crippled.

"Aoba! Comrade Tone! The Abyssal is fleeing! We must pursue!"

"What?!" Kako looked across Nagato's wreck, disbelief in her eyes. "Listen up, Russian, if we don't help Nagato-san first-"

"Three of us will suffice to tow her away!" Kirov's spared but a second for the Japanese cruiser, quickly setting her sight back on the escaping Abyssal. "We can finish this here and now, and I will do this alone if none of you dares to help!"

Her propellers whirred furiously, pushing her away from the squadron, towards the fleeing Abyssal. The distance between them closed rapidly, the damaged battleship unable to maintain full speed. Around them, battle turned into a series of skirmishes, remaining Kongous and torpedo squadrons picking out individual Abyssals to eliminate.

Kirov fired her salvo, shells bouncing harmlessly off monster's armour - but attracting its attention. Out of four turrets, only one remained operational, slowly turning towards the Russian cruiser. Its movements were jerky and uneven - Kirov barely needed to zig-zag to throw the aim off.

Her only option to strike the monster down was getting close enough to launch torpedoes. Possibly use the _shashka_ , if any part of its rigging was damaged enough for the blade to penetrate. The only problem was getting that close without being hit…

Three massive cannons roared, Kirov easily dodging the salvo. Water behind her exploded, churning foam spraying all over the area. Two Abyssals - a cruiser and a Vila-class battlecruiser - noticed the commotion and rushed to their flagship's help. The former was quickly crippled by Kirov's guns, shells piercing through its armour and ripping off chunks of flesh. The battleship, however, quickly approached, murderous intent in its eyes…

...until a blast from the back threw it off balance - too weak to cause any heavy damage, but enough for it to lose aim and be overtaken by the assailant. A single shipgirl emerged from behind the battleship, a flurry of short, pink hair splayed by the battle's maelstrom.

"Aoba!"

"Furutaka and Kako are evacuating Nagato-san, Tone rejoined joined the main force! Let's go Kirov-chan, we can do this together!"

"Yeah" the Russian cruiser nodded as Aoba caught up with her, the Vila-class now in relatively safe distance. Another salvo from the flagship landed in their vicinity, the monster getting closer and closer. Its secondary guns blazed away, their fire more accurate - but with the majority of emplacements already blown away during the engagement with Nagato, they didn't pose any serious threat to the approaching cruisers.

Another salvo was a near miss - and came from behind. The Vila-class used its speed and agility to catch up with them much quicker than Kirov would anticipated - and got much too close for her comfort.

The Russian cruiser grit her teeth, thinking of a solution. They needed all the firepower they had to bring down the flagship… but leaving the battlecruiser behind was a foolish risk to take.

Before she could have reached a conclusion - but not before they were forced to evade yet another salvo, this time a combined one, coming from both sides - her radio crackled, Kaga's emotionless voice coming through:

"Aoba-san, Kirov-san. I'm sending a bomber squadron your way. Stay clear from the Ta-class behind you. We are leaving the flagship to you."

" _Tak tochno! *****_ " Kirov squeezed every last drop from her propulsion, the Princess almost in torpedo rage. Aoba did the same - and they split up to flank the enemy. No other salvo came from behind - instead, a series of rumbling explosions sounded, the Vila-class forced to evade an airstrike, finally dropping out of the race.

Kirov's torpedo launchers swung to the side, ready to fire. The Princess' single remaining turret followed her trail, its movement barely able to compensate for short distance separating the combatants.

" _Do svidaniya! ******_ " she grinned, pulling the trigger.

* * *

"No…"

Ashigara stopped in her tracks at the sight of what remained of Shigure and the rest of her improvised 'squadron'. Kamikaze was the only one conscious, crawling towards her closest companion.

"Wait!" the Wolf kneeled next to the destroyer, gently rolling her to her back. A nasty cut ran across her torso, not deep enough to be lethal - but sufficient to explain the bloody trail left in her wake. "What happened?!"

"The P-princess…" croaked the girl, barely able to focus her sight on Ashigara. "S-she's in the… HQ... "

Footsteps sounded from behind them - Tenryuu and Hibiki ran across the plaza, heading towards Ashigara's position.

"What's the situation?"

"Bad" Tenryuu spat, sending some ill-aimed shot towards an Abyssal cruiser climbing across the seaside rubble. "The facilities are gone. Second line of defense is barely holding, I am coordinating retreat towards Akashi's bunker. We need to-"

Two floaters wooshed above them, dropping bombs on some target behind the HQ. The explosion and subsequent shockwave rocked the whole island.

"Evacuate them to safety!" Ashigara screamed over the piercing ring the detonation left in their ears, pointing at the fallen destroyers. "I need to salvage what we can from the HQ!"

"Is the admiral still there?"

"He didn't leave his quarters, so I hope he's still there! Now, GO!"

She grabbed the closest gun in reach - a pitiful peashooter, dropped by Kamikaze - and ran across the devastated doors.

* * *

It was an impulse that she first went for private quarters, rather than for the command room - but whatever gut feeling spoke through it, turned out to be right. For when she blasted the doors away, her eyes fell upon a primitive barricade. An upturned desk, toppled bookshelves and other pieces of furniture laid across the room in a delightfully pitiful attempt at a defense line.

" **OH, COMMANDER** " she chortled, her voice no longer muffled by the faceplate. " **WHERE IS YOUR HONOUR? TO RUN AWAY? TO HIDE?** "

It was so tempting to just fire a few times, to blow Okada and his every cherished possession to tiny bits. But that would spoil the fun. Be… dishonourable.

That was one point where her old self would easily agree with the new one.

It required little effort to shove the closest section of the barricade away. And there he was - pressed against the room's far wall, a wreck of a commander. Dark bags under eyes. A face that didn't see a peaceful sleep in a very long time. Shaking hands, barely able to hold a handgun. A look of of surprise, slowly morphing into an expression of terrified revelation.

"ADMIRAL! GET OUT OF HERE!"

The Princess froze, hearing the familiar voice coming from the hallway. This time, she didn't mind the hunt got interrupted. Quite the contrary. It meant she could kill two birds with one stone. And the timing was so very fitting...

" **IT'S BEEN A WHILE, HASN'T IT?** " she turned towards the newcomer, barely holding back a laughter.

* * *

 _No_.

It was not being face to face with the Princess that horrified her.

 _This can't be_.

It was seeing the face itself.

 _Why..._?

The head was bald, the ponytail gone. The eyes were sickeningly yellow, instead of hazelnut brown. Even the shape itself was off, deformed by the helmet partially merging directly with the flesh. But there was no mistake.

" **YOU SEE, NEE-CHAN?** " a smirk of triumph made the familiar face even more alien. " **I _AM_ ALRIGHT.**"

She just stood paralyzed, unable to act, while her mind raced. It was an Abyssal. It was the Princess. She had to fight. She had to kill it. She had-

 _It was Nachi._

" **LURING YOUR MAIN FORCE INTO OPEN WATERS WAS SO EASY. OKADA TOOK THE BAIT WITHOUT FAIL. AND NOW, WITH THIS... _BASE_ OF YOURS IN RUINS…**" she made a wide gesture towards the plaza, flames and billows of smoke rising from the rubbles " **...IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT KAGA AND THE REST OF YOUR COMPANIONS ACHIEVE. _VICTORY_...** " she let that word roll off her tongue slowly, inhuman distortion in her voice making it sound like an insult ". **..IS DECIDED HERE.** "

"Onee-san…" Ashigara said weakly, each action forced with inhuman effort. "W-why…"

" **YOU WILL LEARN SOON ENOUGH** " Nachi rose her arm, wristguns extending towards Ashigara's face. " **I WAS WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT EVER SINCE I HAVE SEEN HAGURO NEE-CHAN FOLLOWING MY REBIRTH. AND NOW, TODAY… WE WILL ALL BE REUNITED. AWAY FROM DRYLANDERS AND THEIR SCHEMES. SISTERS IN ARMS, BACK TOGETHER.** "

The sight of barrels pointing towards her finally forced the chains off Ashigara's legs. She dashed to the side, just as the guns roared, their sound amplified by the enclosed space. The whole building shook, dust fell out of the spiderweb of cracks that covered the ceiling and the walls - but she was alive. Rolling, aiming, getting ready to pull the trigger…

" **REALLY?** "

Nachi was already on her way. Before Ashigara could fire, a powerful blow struck her hand, knocking the gun out of her grasp. She tried to fight back, but her injuries took their toil - and the Abyssal effortlessly grabbed her fist mid-punch, twisting her arm and almost tearing it out of the socket.

" **STOP IT** " Nachi hissed, yellow eyes burning. " **ONCE YOU RETURN TO THE ABYSS, EVERYTHING IS GONE. THE PAIN. THE SUFFERING. THIS WAY WE CAN FINALLY BE BACK TOGETHER. YOU. ME. MYOKOU. HAGURO. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU YEARN FOR, ASHIGARA?** "

The Abyssal's other hand grasped her throat. She felt herself rise into the air, all effort futile against Nachi's armoured body. She tried saying something, screaming at the monster her sister became - but she could produce no voice, the gauntlet strangling her mercilessly. Darkness crept up from her vision's corners - and the more she trashed, the harder she choked, the quicker the blackness encroached.

" **PEACE, NEE-CHAN** " yellow eyes looked at her with a twisted mockery of care. " **I DIDN'T WANT TO BREAK SHIGURE-CHAN. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU. THIS WILL MAKE THE WHOLE PROCESS SIMPLER. AND THEN… YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW EASY OUR DREAMS WILL BECOME TRUE. YOUR VICTORY. HAGURO'S WORLD WITHOUT WAR. MYOKOU'S HAPPINESS TOGETHER, AS A REUNITED FAMILY.** "

Darkness practically filled her vision, even Nachi's face a blur. Her body felt numb, all consciousness shrinking to the tiny point inside her mind. Her wounds no longer ached. Her mind was blank - no anger, no fear, nothing.

 _Is this what Nachi felt back then?_

The Abyssal kept talking, but she couldn't understand a word, sounds slurred and meaningless; instead, the darkness closed in front of her, and what remained of her mind sank into the bottomless abyss of oblivion.

* * *

Kirov didn't see her torpedoes reach their target. A brilliant, fiery flash blinded her, as Abyssal guns blazed in their last ditch effort to prevent the attack. A deafening roar drowned out the sounds of battle, making them distant and barely real. The sudden slam to the side swept her off her feet, throwing her face-forward into dark waves. Everything became a timeless, blurry haze.

The next coherent sensation came in the form of a hand slapping her face hectically. Then an otherworldly voice reached her ears, slowly turning into a familiar, panicked cry:

"Kirov-chan! Kirov-chan! Wake up! Please, say something!"

She blinked. The haze dispersed a bit, a blurred outline of pink hair and green eyes just barely visible from behind the milky veil.

" _Gdye ya? Chto… chto proizoshlo? *******_ "

"Thank goodness!" Aoba's relief manifested in her embracing Kirov tight enough to force wind out of her lungs. "When that Abyssal fired… Thank goodness it was a near miss! But it looked awful! Totally, totally awful!"

"Peace, Aoba-dono, peace!" Tone's laugh came from outside Kirov's field of view. Before the Russian cruiser knew, she felt somebody grab her by the shoulders and lift her back to her feet. "Our valiant cavalier barely survived the charge, it would be a shame if she gave up the ghost because she choked on your gratitude!"

Her head spun like mad - but Tone and Aoba provided firm support. She looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. All around them stretched a silent, debris-littered battlefield. The Princess was nowhere in sight.

"D-Did I make it? Is the target gone?"

"Most unfortunately, no" Tone shook her head, no sign of disappointment or sadness in her voice. "That dastard has incredible resilience! It ate at least two of your torpedoes, and Aoba-dono's one as well to boot, and still managed to remain afloat! That salvo looked like it finished you off, so Aoba-dono gave up the chase in order to come to your aid and hailed me for assistance. Alas! The Princess got outside our range, and Kaga-dono refused my request to resume pursuit!"

"And the battle? Comrade Nagato?"

"Safe and sound, albeit unconscious!"

"So…" Kirov looked around one more time, trying to focus her shell-shocked senses. "...did we… win?"

"Yes!" Aoba's cry almost deafened her, as the pink-haired cruiser clutched her arm to get her attention. "Yes, we won! And you almost gave me a heart attack! First Gassa, then Nagato-san, now you! Don't you dare do this again, you hear me?! You hear me, Kirov-chan?!"

"Y-yes…" the Russian cruiser smiled weakly, trying to put as much apology as possible into her feeble voice. "I promise-"

Their radios crackled at the same moment, Kaga's voice filling the open channel:

"To all units combat-worthy units. Set course for home base, flank speed. Raiushima has fallen under Abyssal attack. I repeat, Raiushima base has been attacked. Over and out."

For the first time ever, Kirov saw colour completely leave Tone's face.

* * *

Nachi's vicious voice, distorted by whatever the Abyssals did to her vocal chords, still ringed in his ears. A pair of sadistically playful eyes burnt into his retinas, their yellow afterglow visible even after she had turned her gaze towards Ashigara. No amount of training, no program back in the naval academy, could have prepared him for facing his own shipgirl turned into an Abyssal abomination.

A feeble, cowardly thought in the back of his mind hoped that Ashigara was the cavalry coming to save him. That the Hungry Wolf would overcome the terror incarnated, just as she saved the day so many times on the battlefield.

He didn't care about his honour. He didn't care about his ambition. He didn't even think about looking Ashigara or Kaga - or any other shipgirl - in the eyes again. He just wanted to vanish, get replaced. To see the string of his failures finally come to an end, one way or another.

All those hopes and wishes were shattered at the sight of Ashigara being so easily overcome by the monster that used to be her sister. His thoughts crumbled, got ground to dust, leaving only a void behind. A cold, sharp emptiness slicing the insides of his mind.

He didn't know how he found the strength to stand up and take aim. There was no courage in that - for courage meant a conscious decision, and he was not capable of one. He pulled the trigger, even though all his instincts screamed to run.

The Abyssal didn't even flinch when the bullet flattened on the back of her helmet. But she loosened the grip on Ashigara, the Myokou-class falling limply to the ground. The Wolf's empty, half-opened eyes looked past Okada for a split of a second - and she collapsed to the floor without life.

The second bullet hit the side of Nachi's neck, ricocheting. Third one bounced off her arm. By the time he pulled the trigger for the fourth time, Nachi was facing him again. She took her time; the pistol was but a mere distraction for the advancing warship.

" **A CORNERED RAT DECIDES TO BITE** " she mused, blocking the fifth shot with her extended hand, as she aimed her wrist guns at Okada. " **I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY, COMMANDER. BUT IN THE END, I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU CAN ENTERTAIN ME FOR THE LAST TIME.** "

The terror he felt overcame all instincts, including the one forcing him stand up and fight. Even if he wanted, there was nowhere to run. His base has fallen. His fleet has been defeated. And his death had the face of one of his most trusted shipgirls.

" **FAREWELL, COMMANDER** " the guttural chuckle was completely unlike Nachi's - but at the same time, strangely familiar. Like everything about the Abyssal standing in front of him.

He closed his eyes, ready for the blast to come.

* * *

She must have hit her head during the fall - and somehow regained consciousness in time to muffle a desperate gasp for air her mind forced through. Her vision swam, whole body screamed in pain, the world around was but a colourful mess of chaotic sensations - but what she could make out of that was sufficient. She had to act.

Kamikaze's gun was in her reach. Her fingers grasped the handle weakly, the weapon feeling heavy like a battleship turret. In her triumphant gloat, Nachi didn't notice the slow, painful movement behind her back, giving Ashigara a chance to take aim.

The shell exploded against Nachi's backplate, a spiderweb of cracks tarnishing the ivory armour. The blast was not enough to knock her over - but threw her off balance long enough for the mechanism to load another shell. The second shot got through the plating, close range making up for lack of raw penetration.

Recoil almost tore the gun out of Ashigara's hand - but she clenched her teeth, ignoring the pain and forced her fingers to pull the trigger for the last time. The shell impacted Nachi's exposed torso, tearing off a chunk of flesh and spraying everything around with black ichor. The agonal, primal roar of fury filled the air, as the Abyssal spun in place, one hand clenching the wound, while the second aimed for Ashigara's face…

" **YOU!** "

Suddenly, Nachi's whole body jolted, the armoured figure falling to her knees. At first, it seemed that it was the pain forcing the cruiser into submission - but when their eyes locked gazes again, Ashigara's heart skipped a beat.

Yellow glow in Nachi's eyes faded out, replaced by her old, brown colour. A grimace of untold pain - one far worse than any wound could cause - twisted her face.

" **Nee-chan…** " the Abyssal distortion was still in her voice, but much, much weaker. Wrist guns retracted, and she grabbed her head with her free hand, as if fighting an unimaginable headache.

"Nachi!" Ashigara scrambled towards her sister, casting the gun aside and crawling on all fours across the ruined floor. She got there just in time as Nachi collapsed completely, falling into her arms.

" **Ash… Ashigara…** " she heaved, each breath heavy and spasmatic. She could barely focus her sight - and whenever she tried, the yellow flame in her eyes rekindled, as if the Abyssal within fought to regain control, only to be subdued back in the very last moment.

"It's okay Nachi… it's okay… I'm here… I'm here…"

" **I… am sorry… I-"** an inhuman howl cut Nachi's words short, escaping from behind her clenched teeth, Abyssal, distorted fury mixed with a desperate cry of agony. For the few horrifying moments, Nachi's face contorted beyond what should be physically possible.

" **...I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…** " she whispered as the fit ended as suddenly as it had begun. A completely human tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a damp trace against ivory white skin. New ones joined it - this time dropping from above, from Ashigara's eyes.

"We can fix this. We can. We will take you to Akashi, she can fix this. She can fix you-"

" **NO…** " Abyssal distortion overcome Nachi's voice again for a second, before reverting back. " **...it's-it's too late… Please…** "

Another howl - this time one of primal, insatiable rage - filled the air, as Nachi started trashing and spasming, falling out of Ashigara's arms. The Abyssal fell to the floor, both hands grabbing at her head, weapons extending and retracting chaotically as two minds fought for command of the body.

Eyes glued to the gruesome struggle in front of her, Ashigara blindly felt Kamikaze's gun handle. Nachi's body contorted and twisted, her cry changing from an incoherent cry for help, through animistic snarls of a bloodthirsty monster, all the way to threats and insults. Her eyes pulsated, sickening yellow rekindling and dimming back. The wound in her side seeped thick ichor, oily filling the air. Ashigara's legs trembled as she stood up, shaking hands barely able to keep the barrel aimed.

" **I BEG YOU! I DON'T WANT, I DON'T, I DON'T, IDON'TDON'T-** "

Below her, Nachi suddenly calmed down. The painful grimace still contorted her face, her breath was laborious and uneven - but the trashing stopped.

And then many things happened in the span of but a few seconds.

"N-Nachi?" an uncertain question escaped Ashigara's lips.

A response came in the form of a low, guttural chuckle.

Nachi's eyes shot open, hazelnut almost completely consumed by the rekindled, corrupted, yellow glow.

A spasm of primal, unspeakable horror crossed the girl's face for a blink of an eye, before she bared her teeth and rose her arm, guns extending for the shot.

A single blast rocked the building, as Kamikaze's shell obliterated what remained of the Abyssal's helmet and its contents.

The Hungry Wolf looked down upon the defeated Princess with an unseeing gaze, eyes widened and breathing rapid. The gun fell out of her hands, hitting the floor with a hollow thump. She fell to her knees, picking up her sister's cold, lifeless body in a sisterly embrace. This time, there was no Abyss clinging onto Nachi, trying to tear her away, pull into the darkness.

Because this time, there was nothing left for the Abyss to take.

Outside, the battle raged on, sounds of combat mixing into a singluar, neverending, chaotic cacophony.

* * *

 ***** tak tochno (rus., такточно) - affirmative  
 ****** do svidaniya (rus., до свидания) - goodbye  
 ******* Gdye ya? Chto… chto proizoshlo? (rus., Где я? Что... что произошло?) - Where am I? What... what happened?


	11. XI - Promises

**XI  
** **Promises**

The forest shrine took little damage during battle. A stray shot here and there dented the wooden structure - but it was spared any direct attack. Even in the later part, of the invasion, when the Abyssals suddenly lost their focus and coordination following the Princess' demise, no enemy attempted to approach the structure.

Ashigara sat on a flat stone, listening to the sounds of the island. Wind rustling the green canopy above their heads. Muffled prayers coming from inside the temple. Birds chirping. The distant sound of construction works coming from the base complex - and the silent whisper of ocean beyond. Footsteps on the gravel path.

She turned to greet the newcomer. The past few days didn't do much to improve his looks - but there was some new spring in his gait, as he approached her and leaned against the shrine's wall. Besides, seeing him finally leave the HQ was already a notable thing.

"Admiral."

"Ashigara."

She didn't let the awkward silence settle in.

"Glad to see you up and running again."

"I wasted too much time already" he briefly glanced at the shrine. "Not going inside?"

"Been there already in the morning. Now it's Sazanami-chan and her friends' turn. They're paying respects and... well, saying thanks to whoever looked after them during those battles. We all had a couple of hard brushes recently. Far too many for my liking."

"Yeah..."

"So, you're staying? I guess an official announcement is due for the closest command briefing, but... it's pretty obvious anyway. For starters, you missed that ship back to mainland yesterday. And I see no other admiral being shown around."

"Sharp as always" Okada chuckled, a heavy sigh following the comment proving there was more to his visit that just small talk. "But yes, I'm staying. Especially after... what happened."

"You wanted to say: after Nachi nee-san's return?"

"Yes... I thought... Didn't want to speak this out loud, in case you had a different..."

"Different what?" Ashigara shot the admiral an intense gaze, as if trying to glance directly into his thoughts. "As much as I'd want to be in denial, it _was_ Nachi. Twisted and corrupted, but she was there. And I just hope... I just hope that she died as herself. Before that thing consumed her again..."

Her voice broke - but she managed to recompose herself before Okada had any chance to react. She already had cried all the tears she should have shed, already coped with despair she had the right to feel. It was time to take a step forward.

"You were right about one thing, Okada. We can do this. I have no idea how this whole thing works - but the relation you mentioned back at Akashi's exists. And we can tear our friends out of Abyss' grasp. Just as it snatched Nachi from us and turned her into that... thing."

Okada nodded. This time the silence fell for a bit longer.

"Thanks for saving my ass back there" he finally responded.

"That makes us even, I guess…" Ashigara stroke her neck, a reddish stripe still running across the skin. "...no idea if I'd have woken up in time if she had held on for any longer."

They stood a while in thought, looking down at the base, barely visible through the foliage. There was something still hanging in the air - and it took Ashigara a while to realize what it was.

For the first time in what seemed like years, she felt at ease. Nachi was not gone. She was out there. And they would find a way to bring her back. And then they would all sit down together, their little family reunited for good.

"Oi, Okada."

The admiral looked at her, anxiously.

"Promise we drink the victory toast together. You, nee-san and me."

He let out a relieved chuckle, but his face remained a one of solemn determination.

"I promise."

The last remaining barrier between them opened, those two simple words serving like a key to an old, rusted lock.

"Glad to have you back for real, Ashigara."

"Glad to finally be back myself."

* * *

Kirov thought she got used to Raiushima's heat - but working at the base's reconstruction made her realize her acclimatization was just partial at best. And the fact that hours of carrying stuff, laying bricks and assembling scaffolds made other girls sweaty and half-dead from exhausted as well didn't help much.

When the break finally rolled in, she gladly found the nearest shady corner and just slid down to the ground. Around her, other girls did the same.

"How are you holding up, Kirov-chan?"

She didn't notice Aoba's approach; not particularly strange, taking into account how tired she was. The reporter girl brought some drinks - and Kirov was more than happy to accept a bottle. Or a dozen.

"It's called _Ra-mu-ne_ , right?" she read out the label, pushing the marble inside and taking a huge sip of sweet soda. "I need to take some to Vladivostok..."

"I'll let you know if there are any supplies left by then" the other shipgirl laughed, sitting next to Kirov. "Gassa says hi, by the way."

"She's feeling better?"

"Uhm!" Aoba opened her own bottle, knocking Kirov's in a playful toast. "All is well that ends well!"

"Ends…? So the rumor is true? We're not going to retake those islands?"

"Well…" Aoba took a quick glance around, as if making sure nobody was eavesdropping. " _Technically_ , we are to be informed of that on Kaga-san's next command briefing. But a small birdie told me…" she giggled "...that we're not needed there anyway. The Abyssal fleet got defeated, and with both Princesses gone, the remaining force went into complete disarray. A regular army detachment will be sent to restore control over the mines."

"Well, that's a relief" Kirov greedily finished her bottle. "And this bird must have got very inquisitive."

"Oh trust me, nobody knows better how to learn some funny secrets than her. Especially at night" she winked, the joke - wherever it was - getting over Kirov's head.

"Well, time to get back to work" the Russian cruiser stood up, stretching. "Don't want to leave your base in worse state than it was when I arrived."

"Same…" Aoba pouted, evidently less amused with the perspective. "Oh right! Do come to Mamiya's in the evening today, OK? We'll be throwing a small party to celebrate our victory… And _another_ birdie told me Chitose-san has salvaged something special from her supplies!"

" _Nu_ … That's not something I can refuse, right?"

"And that must be why you always scored top marks in those tests your admiral mentioned last time!" Aoba laughed and rustled Kirov's hair before departing towards her station, leaving the Russian cruiser hanging somewhere halfway between anticipation and anxiety.

Raiushima was _not_ an ordinary place.

* * *

Kirov's departure happened pretty much the same way her arrival had taken place.

Two weeks after the Abyssal attack, a dark spot appeared on the horizon, quickly approaching the island. A greeting party - composed of Okada, Kaga, Kirov and Aoba - was waiting for the Russians' arrival on the beach. The only difference was the weather - the skies were cloudy, wind lashing the island like an angry animal.

This time, Aoba had time to pick the perfect spot and prepare her equipment. She even managed to shoot a short film of the hovercraft sliding across the waves, completely ignoring the uneasy seas beneath its bottom. The golden eagle on its side looked far less impressive without sunlight reflecting off the paint - but there was still something majestically disturbing in seeing the monster beach. Especially with remains of Abyssal landing craft still tarnishing the shore here and there.

The Russians' stay was much shorter, though; even with admiral Orlov being as jovial as ever, a sense of rush permeated the whole visit. The dinner Okada arranged in Mamiya's rebuilt place took less than an hour. Even Molotov seemed too preoccupied to keep threatening Aoba with her murderous glare whenever the Japanese cruiser got too close to Kirov or Orlov. To make things stranger, Kaga departed mid-dinner, after getting a rather discreet signal from Okada - one that apparently slid under the Russians' radar.

Her compatriots' mood quickly got to Kirov as well, especially once the sisters shared a whispered, rushed conversation on the side. As much as her curiosity wanted to blow her cap off, Aoba decided not to push with unnecessary questions. The shipgirls generally talked little; it was mostly the admirals who kept the conversation going. Aoba was just there, taking notes and photos.

The thought of Kirov's departure made the girl's heart sink a little. Sure thing, she knew her Russian friend was only temporarily assigned to Raiushima. But she would lie to say she didn't grow attached to her. Even with the Russian girl being one of few words (though this slowly changed the longer they hanged out together), she could feel some good vibes coursing between them. Which, in turn, made her wonder now how difficult it would be to break through Molotov's icy armour.

"Hey, Kirov-chan" she finally managed to catch the Russian girl's attention when they were already on their way to the hovercraft. "I really hope you enjoyed your stay here… I mean, I know it sounds silly, you weren't on vacations here, but I hope you liked the base and the girls, and…"

"No worries" the Russian cruiser smiled with warmth unthinkable just a month ago. "It was fun. I learnt a lot of things. And I have many stories to tell once we're back in Vladivostok. Thank you, Aoba. And I wish I had the time to say goodbyes to the rest of-"

Her words were interrupted by a sound of orchestra, coming from the beach's direction. A strong, marching melody built up rapidly, its accords accompanied by Kinugasa's voice:

 _Nastupayet minuta proshchaniya,  
_ _Ty glyadish' mne trevozhno v glaza... *****_

Kirov spun towards the source, eyes widening - and almost slamming into Molotov's back, the other cruiser stopped in her tracks once she heard the seemingly familiar melody.

"Oka, you old rat…!" Orlov burst into a cheerful, deep laughter, as the small band continued playing, Kinugasa's vocals accompanied by Tone, both Furutakas and a dozen other shipgirls playing their instruments. "This is one way to bid farewell to a Slavic girl!"

"But…" Kirov shook her head in disbelief. "I didn't know comrade Kinugasa speaks Russian…"

"She doesn't. But when she learnt about that little surprise, she offered to try learning the lyrics herself!" Okada grinned, saluting the Russian shipgirl. "We have a great debt to you, Kirov-san. It was an honour to host you - and your efforts will never be forgotten here."

"Thank you, comrade admiral" Kirov returned the honour proudly.

"The gratitude is all ours. And speaking of that…"

He turned towards the base, where yet another person - Kaga - was quickly making her way towards the beach, two cases tucked under her arm. Okada waited for the flagship to reach their position, while the band continued playing - the timing almost perfect for Kaga to arrive at the time the music ended.

"Kirov-san" Okada took the first case - a long and narrow one - from the carrier, opening it and presenting the contents to the Russian cruiser. "Please accept this as the token of mine - and the whole base's - gratitude."

Aoba sneakily moved to the side, tiptoeing to get the best angle possible. Inside the case, laying against red velvet padding, was a sword. Though the curved blade itself was hidden within a plain, black sheath, the handle alone told more than enough of the weapon's quality. Kirov froze in awe, Molotov eyed the gift with fascination - and only Orlov let out a sound, in the form of a long, impressed whistle.

"I know this blade cannot replace your trusted sabre - and this is no intention of mine - but I do hope it will serve you well during battles to come."

"I am certain it will" Kirov accepted the case, taking it from Okada's arms.

"And here…" the Japanese admiral opened the smaller box. Sun reflected off the trinket inside - a metal badge, depicting two lightnings clashing over a simplified representation of an island. "...is the more formal part of the gift."

"Ohmygosh-" Aoba barely managed to contain a surprised whisper.

"This is the Order of the Heroine of Raiushima. It had been established prior to the battle of the Ulithi atoll but was not awarded up to this point, due to the whole situation following Nachi-san's death. The official ceremony with first awards is to take place tomorrow - but since you're departing already, I decided to change the schedule a bit. So… One more time, thank you for all your hard work."

"Thank you, comrade admiral" Kirov solemnly accepted the medal, handing both cases over to Molotov. "It was an honour to fight alongside your fleet - and I hope we will meet again soon."

"Of course we will!" Aoba barged in as soon as the Russian shipgirl eased after the salute, frantically scribbling in her notepad, tearing a page out and pushing it into Kirov's palm. "Here is my Fleetcord ID, I am sure you can get some way to connect with me from your base!"

"I promise!" the blonde-haired cruiser laughed heartfully, folding the page and hiding it in her uniform's pocket, as Molotov eyed the scene with barely hidden jealousy.

* * *

While the summoning pool was her throne room, it was by no means the deepest part of her realm.

Akashi typed the code on the keypad. The massive door separating two sections of her workshop clicked, a dozen of bolts and electromagnets letting go for just long enough for her to push the heavy slab forward. Despite its weight, the door moved without a sound - save for a loud clang, as it locked back behind her a while later.

This room was off-limits, even for fairies and Yuubari. Pristine and spotless, the few devices and machines located inside differed from the ones from the general workshop. Built from finest components brought from the mainland, they saw little use - but when they did, it meant the situation was of utmost importance.

She tapped a wall-mounted touchscreen, its controls recognizing her fingerprints and bringing the display back to life. Two sets of vital signs appeared - one which could have been best described as 'critical but stable', and another, flatlined. Neither showed changes since last time she had checked.

The wall to Akashi's right was occupied by her workdesk, the stuff cluttering it nowhere out of the ordinary; a computer, a pile of papers, some half-baked components she was working on at the time - but didn't have chance to finish before being called by other matters. The notebook's screen came to life at the same moment the wall display activated, the machine quickly going through the booting process.

To her left, however, stood a set of cylindrical tubes, each large enough to fit a standing person inside. Three of them were empty, a myriad of displays and indicators connected to it blank or inactive. Two, however, held a person inside, bodies suspended within an oily, semi-transparent liquid and screens teeming with data.

The one closer to the wall-mounted display contained a shipgirl. Her olive skin was covered with a net of bruises and scars in various phases of healing. Her long, jet-black hair were splayed all around, floating freely in the solution. A mask covered her mouth and nose, a flexible tube respirating the patient. Other, thinner tubes went directly into her veins, pumping the shipgirl with all the chemistry her body needed. The weirdest part were her legs, enclosed in a complex scaffolding of fine, metal bands, cables and bracers. A thin ring of fresh scar tissue ran along the hips just below the pelvis - the place of connection disturbingly similar to how two pieces of metal merge when welded together.

Akashi spared a while to double check the patient's state. Nagato was recovering fine. The procedure she first tested on Sazanami worked successfully again, despite the extent of shipgirl's damage. That was a surely a relief.

The other cylinder held a headless monstrosity, a combination of Abyssal necrotic flesh and bony armour plates. A significant part of its torso had been blown away, the wound's jagged rim crudely cauterized only after the corpse reached Akashi's hands. First signs of decomposure already showed up, even though the chief engineer did her best to keep the room sterile and make autopsy sessions outside the tank as short as possible. Grey spots blossomed on the smooth skin, slowly yet inevitably consuming what was left of the Abyssal Princess. Whatever was the rot's reason, it was beyond her ability to contain.

Akashi bit her lip, summoning the latest reports to the main display. Her time was running out. Without a living specimen, she had only a limited amount of options to test before the subject deteriorated beyond the point of no return. She had to find the answers before that.

Nachi's return meant that Okada's attempt at capturing the Abyssal for studying was not a folly. It made his promise to bring Nachi back more than just wishful thinking. It turned the careful hypotheses being shyly formulated in other bases into a valid possibility.

All that was left was to find the place where the string of hints began - and then keep pulling, following it all the way to the core, to the key answer hidden inside. To the place where Abyssals and shipgirls met.

The problem was, she had no idea where to even start.

A silent beep pulled her out of grim thoughts. The computer's screen blinked, an e-mail notification popping up. She quickly went over to the machine, skimming the message. She then read it again, this time carefully going over the few short paragraphs it contained. Her eyes widened, lips parting in a surprised expression.

Somebody had found the string's end. And was kind enough to share the pointers.

"Now that's interesting…" She uttered, bringing up the data from latest report for comparison.

* * *

 ***** First two verses of the song _Farewell of Slavianka_ ( _Прощание славянки_ ) _:_

 _The minute of farewell comes  
You look into my eyes anxiously_


End file.
